Kwon Sungdong: "Lee's Withdrawal of Non-Lawyer Bill Is Flip-Flopping... Will Try Again If Elected"

"Lee is Only Hiding His Claws to Control the Judiciary Ahead of the Election"

Kwon Sungdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized the Democratic Party of Korea on May 26 for withdrawing a bill that would have allowed non-lawyers to be appointed as Supreme Court justices, stating, "If Lee Jaemyung is elected, they will attempt this again."

At a press conference on current issues held at the National Assembly that day, Kwon said, "They have announced the withdrawal now to avoid criticism of trying to take control of the judiciary ahead of the presidential election, but it is not the first or second time that candidate Lee Jaemyung has gone back on his word."

Kwon Sungdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the 'Central Election Committee Meeting and Central Election Committee Appointment Ceremony' held at the National Assembly Main Building in Seoul on May 15, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

He continued, "Even if Lee is elected president, his trials will resume and a guilty verdict is inevitable, so there is no way he will give up on controlling the judiciary. For now, they are just temporarily hiding their claws ahead of the election," downplaying the significance of the legislative withdrawal.

Kwon also pointed out, "The Democratic Party is attempting to control the judiciary through actions such as proposing the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedae, calling for a special prosecutor, and submitting amendments to the Criminal Act. If Lee Jaemyung becomes president, the reality will be that all three branches of government?legislative, executive, and judiciary?will be under their control."

He added, "As always, Lee Jaemyung's words cannot be trusted?he insists on the Yellow Envelope Act while claiming to be moderate-conservative, and changes his stance by considering a 52-hour workweek exception for semiconductors."

As a reaction to this, Kwon also expressed hope for a consolidation of support for Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate. He emphasized, "As the desperate feeling that the country must not be entrusted to Lee Jaemyung grows, a sense of momentum and hope is rising among the public. We will surely win this contest between the competent and upright Kim Moonsoo and the incompetent and dishonest Lee Jaemyung."

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