Lee Jae-myung: "'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor' Conditional Acceptance Is a Tactic to Avoid Crisis"

"Words and Actions Separate... It Was Enough to Do It Before the General Election"
Han Dong-hoon Appointed as Emergency Committee Chair... "Hope He Performs His Duties Well"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the speculation that the ruling party might conditionally accept the so-called 'Kim Geon-hee special prosecution' as a "trick to buy time."

Some within the ruling party have raised the possibility of accepting the special prosecution after the general election, on the condition of removing "poisonous clauses," due to concerns about the negative impact on the election. On the 19th, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon also pointed out that "there are even poisonous clauses such as live broadcasting of the investigation." This led to interpretations that the ruling party might accept the special prosecution law if the poisonous clauses are removed or the investigation start date is adjusted.

Lee Jae-myung, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea Photo by Yonhap News

On the 21st, Lee met with reporters at the National Assembly and responded to such speculation by saying, "The government's attitude is often 'one thing in words, another in actions,'" and questioned, "If they intended to do it after the general election, why not have done it well before the election?"

The 'double special prosecution law,' which includes the 'Kim Geon-hee special prosecution' and the investigation into the Daejang-dong 5 billion club, was designated as a fast-track bill led by the opposition party in April this year. According to the National Assembly Act, the two special prosecution laws must be submitted before the 22nd of this month, which is the 60th day from the date they were referred to the plenary session, and if not submitted by then, they will be automatically submitted at the first plenary session thereafter. The Democratic Party has repeatedly expressed its intention to forcibly pass the double special prosecution law at the plenary session scheduled for the 28th.

However, within the ruling party, there has never been serious public discussion about conditionally accepting the 'Kim Geon-hee special prosecution.' The general consensus is that if the Democratic Party passes the double special prosecution law alone with its large number of seats, President Yoon Seok-yeol is likely to exercise his veto power.

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-myung congratulated Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon on being nominated as the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, saying, "Congratulations," and added, "I hope he fulfills the responsibilities and duties given to him as the head of the ruling party." Regarding former leader Lee Nak-yeon, who started the process of forming a new party with a 'D-day' set for January next year and expressed in a media interview that he "agrees with a unified emergency committee premised on Lee Jae-myung's resignation," Lee Jae-myung commented generally, saying, "It is natural for members of a democratic party to express their opinions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.