Presidential Office: "Double Special Prosecutor Law is Opposition's Election Manipulation Tactic" (Update)

Lee Gwansub Chief Secretary Briefing
"Excessive Investigation and False Briefing Violate Citizens' Right to Choose"
Senior Official "Do Not Agree with Conflict of Interest... Upholding the Constitution"

President Yoon Suk-yeol approved the re-request right (veto power) on the so-called 'double special prosecutor law' on the 5th, which involves allegations of stock manipulation by Kim Gun-hee related to Deutsche Motors and bribery allegations concerning the Daejang-dong 5 billion club. The reason for exercising the veto was that the Democratic Party of Korea passed the special prosecutor bill, which could undermine constitutional values, to win the general election.

Lee Gwan-seop, Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the morning and conveyed President Yoon's veto, stating, "We express deep regret that the major opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, delayed the urgent legislation for the people while unilaterally pushing through two special prosecutor bills unrelated to public livelihood without bipartisan agreement." Earlier, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a Cabinet meeting at the Government Seoul Office at 9 a.m. to deliberate and resolve on the veto of the double special prosecutor law. This is the fourth time President Yoon has exercised his veto power (seventh time by bill).

The position of President Yoon and the Presidential Office is that the Democratic Party forcibly passed the double special prosecutor law to win the general election through public opinion manipulation. Lee said, "The special prosecutor law was created for election-related public opinion manipulation and has many problems," adding, "It could lead to human rights violations by conducting excessive double investigations on individuals involved in ongoing trials, and during the election period, a pro-opposition special prosecutor could infringe on the public's right to choose through false briefings."

Lee Gwan-seop, Chief of Staff to the President, is briefing on the morning of the 5th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's veto of the so-called 'Double Special Prosecutor Act' passed by the National Assembly led by the Democratic Party of Korea.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the Daejang-dong 5 billion club special prosecutor law, it was defined as having the purpose of shielding Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party. If 5 billion won was received for lobbying related to the Daejang-dong project, then people close to Lee Jae-myung, who was the mayor at the time, would be subjects of investigation. However, if the ruling party's right to recommend special prosecutors is excluded and only opposition-recommended personnel become special prosecutors, there will be no truth-finding. Lee criticized this, saying, "It is obvious that ongoing prosecution investigations will be obstructed, and there will be forced testimony reversals, double investigations, investigations to disgrace prosecutors, and public opinion manipulation to cover up, all aimed at overturning the investigation against Lee Jae-myung."

He also claimed that the special prosecutor for Deutsche Motors aims at public opinion manipulation by the ruling party. Lee pointed out, "This case, which happened 12 years ago before marriage, was thoroughly investigated for two years under the Moon Jae-in administration without indictment or even summons. Conducting double investigations infringes on the human rights of those on trial and is politically biased, with problems similar to the 5 billion club special prosecutor law, including public opinion manipulation through false briefings." However, Lee did not directly mention the name of Kim Gun-hee, who is directly related to the allegations.

In particular, Lee stated, "The president is the guardian of the constitution and the rule of law, responsible for protecting constitutional values such as human rights and managing elections fairly," and argued, "There is an obligation to request reconsideration for special prosecutor bills that violate these principles." This appears to be in response to opposition criticism that President Yoon, the husband, blocking the special prosecutor investigation into Kim Gun-hee's allegations constitutes a conflict of interest. Lee also emphasized, "If such legislation remains a bad precedent, human rights and constitutional values can always be threatened by the majority party's arbitrary power," adding, "According to this constitutional duty, President Yoon requested reconsideration of these two election-related bad laws."

Waste of budget and administrative resources was also cited as a problem with this special prosecutor law. If the special prosecutor proceeds, hundreds of millions of won in budget will be spent, wasting taxpayers' money on matters unrelated to public livelihood. Additionally, if investigative personnel are seconded to the special prosecutor, the normal operation of law enforcement agencies will inevitably face problems.

In response to a reporter's comment that "President Yoon's veto exercise is fast," a senior official at the Presidential Office explained, "We believe it is better to promptly express our position when constitutional values are being undermined." When asked if there is a possibility of conflict of interest regarding the veto on the special prosecutor law related to Kim Gun-hee, the official replied, "We do not agree," and countered, "It is a special prosecutor law with many problems that undermine constitutional values, so reconsideration was requested."

Meanwhile, when a reporter asked about the possibility of restoring the Second Office to assist the First Lady, the official said, "President Yoon pledged during the election period not to establish the Second Office," adding, "If the majority of the public thinks it is good to establish it, we will consider it."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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