People Power Party Yeongnam Governor and Mayor Candidates: "Adjusting the Timing of Special Prosecutor for Dismissal of Indictments? A Ploy"

Joint Press Conference Held Following Statements from Other Regional Candidates, Including Those in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

The People Power Party is launching a full-scale offensive against the Democratic Party’s “Special Prosecutor Bill on Alleged Fabrication of Investigations and Prosecutions by the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration” (commonly known as the Special Prosecutor for Prosecution Cancellation), about a month ahead of the 9th Nationwide Local Elections scheduled for June 3. Candidates from the People Power Party running for mayoral and gubernatorial posts in the Yeongnam region criticized, “President Lee Jaemyung seems to be merely discussing timing adjustments because he fears public backlash,” and went on to say, “This is a cowardly and shallow trick, simply trying to avoid the local elections.”

On the morning of May 6, five People Power Party candidates for metropolitan mayors and governors from the Yeongnam region (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam, Daegu, and Gyeongbuk) held an emergency press conference at Ulsan City Hall’s briefing room. They stated, “We cannot trade away constitutional values for President Lee Jaemyung’s attempt to whitewash his crimes. The Republic of Korea cannot be allowed to collapse for the sake of completing the dictatorship of the Democratic Party’s Lee Jaemyung administration.”

Yonhap News Agency

They asserted, “Allowing a special prosecutor appointed by the president to cancel a trial involving the president is a clear violation of the constitutional principle of separation of powers and constitutes improper interference in the judicial process by those in power. The so-called ‘Special Prosecutor for Fabricated Prosecution Bill’ is a judicial coup and an insurrection in the name of legislation. This is unprecedented, even during the era of military dictatorship in the history of Korea.”

They continued, “Although the president’s trial is suspended during his term and does not interfere with the execution of state affairs, this attempt is not only a privatization of power but also an anti-constitutional act that directly contravenes the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea. The ruling party, intoxicated by power, is openly challenging the authority of the people and the Constitution, and it is tantamount to declaring the president above the law.”

They further stated, “A year after his inauguration, President Lee’s stance is shocking—not demanding the Democratic Party withdraw the Special Prosecutor for Prosecution Cancellation Bill, but instead insisting that the introduction of a special prosecutor is essential and that the timing and procedures should reflect public opinion. This appears to be nothing more than a political calculation to avoid negative effects on the local elections, which are now less than a month away. It is hard to see any real will to uphold the Constitution from the president.”

They concluded, “The (Special Prosecutor for Prosecution Cancellation Bill) is an ultra-constitutional idea that seeks to place not only the separation of powers but also the independence of the judiciary entirely in the hands of President Lee Jaemyung. We, the five People Power Party candidates for mayor and governor in the Yeongnam region, will join the public in resolutely blocking these anti-constitutional attempts by President Lee and the Democratic Party to the very end.”

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