Yang Soo Lee: "'Chaesangbyeong Special Prosecutor Act' Police and Prosecutor Investigation First... Not Subject to Special Prosecutor"

"If progress remains insufficient after investigation, proceeding with a special prosecutor is the right step"

Lee Yang-su, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, emphasized that investigation by the prosecution and police should come first, addressing the opposition party's attempt to forcibly pass the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act.'

Lee Yang-su (right) of the People Power Party and Park Ju-min, Chief Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, are entering the National Assembly on the 1st to announce the agreed amendments to the Itaewon Disaster Special Act. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 2nd, Lee appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and said that the passage of the 'Itaewon Special Act' has opened the way for bipartisan cooperation, adding, "The ruling party is willing to make sufficient concessions through period adjustments, so I wonder if it wouldn't be better to try to reach a consensus on the (Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act) even now."

He said, "In fact, the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act is not even subject to a special prosecutor. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the prosecution are currently investigating, and there is no case where a special prosecutor is appointed during an ongoing investigation," adding, "A special prosecutor should be appointed only if the investigation is incomplete after it ends; otherwise, it disregards the National Commission in advance."

He continued, "The Chae Sang-byeong case is not a suspicious military death but an accidental death, so the investigation is quite simple," and said, "The allegation of concealment is a one-sided claim by the Democratic Party. If there is something concealed, the police should properly investigate it."

Lee emphasized, "Even if they try to forcibly pass it, if we exercise the veto power, it will not be realized," and added, "If they want the bill to be discarded, they should forcibly pass it, but if they really want to conduct a proper investigation and determine right and wrong, it is right to sit at the negotiation table and negotiate."

Regarding the so-called 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act,' he said, "It is a political dispute, so it is hard to accept," adding, "In the past, politicians did not directly target the president or the first lady. It might have happened during the process of judging right and wrong after the administration ended, but it rarely happens now, and (the allegations related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee) did not occur during President Yoon Seok-yeol's current term."

He also said, "These are matters that have not been indicted despite years of investigation or inquiry," and added, "I don't know how the law will be made, but if the Democratic Party brings it to us, we will carefully review it and then decide whether it is a law that needs to be discussed in the National Assembly or if it is not worth discussing."

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