Minjoo Considers Fifth 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor' Card

The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, are deliberating on the timing to reintroduce the ‘Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act.’ The opposition plans to keep open the possibility that First Lady Kim, the spouse of President Yoon Seok-yeol, may have been involved in the December 3 emergency martial law incident, and intends to accelerate the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act following the Special Prosecutor Act on the insurrection.

According to political circles on the 17th, the Democratic Party’s ‘Myeong Tae-gyun Gate Truth Investigation Team’ plans to visit the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on the 20th to protest and urge the summons and prosecution of First Lady Kim related to the Myeong case. This is based on the judgment that investigations related to Kim’s interference in candidate nominations and suspicions of stock price manipulation in Deutsche Motors have not progressed due to being overshadowed by President Yoon’s judicial issues.

The scope of investigation under the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act covers a total of 15 cases. Specifically, these include △suspicions of interference in the June 2022 local elections and by-elections, and the April 10 general elections last year △suspicions of election fraud during the 2022 presidential election and primary process through Myeong Tae-gyun △suspicions of receiving luxury bags and stock price manipulation in Deutsche Motors, among others. Previously, on the 8th, the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act was finally rejected and discarded in the National Assembly after a re-vote, with 196 votes in favor, 103 against, and 1 invalid vote.

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Within the Democratic Party, Representative Park Ji-won mentioned on the radio the day before that they are "preparing the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act again," and No Jong-myeon, the Democratic Party’s floor spokesperson, also said, "Although a roadmap has not been released, it will definitely be re-pursued," signaling the creation of momentum. The background to calls within the Democratic Party to speed up the reintroduction of the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act is interpreted as related to the party’s stagnant approval ratings. It is assessed that the political deadlock led by the Democratic Party for over a month after President Yoon’s emergency martial law and impeachment has resulted in a decline in party support. The internal judgment is that under the leadership of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, the party should focus on the people’s livelihood economy and accelerate the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act as an additional offensive card against the ruling party.

The Progressive Innovation Party, which is most proactive in pushing the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act, is also discussing the timing of its reintroduction. Park Eun-jung, a member of the Progressive Innovation Party and the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said in a phone interview, "In the recent arrest warrant for President Yoon, the investigation into Kim Geon-hee was cited as a motive for the insurrection in the warrant. Therefore, I believe there should be an investigation into Kim Geon-hee, and it should proceed swiftly."

However, some in political circles express concerns about a ‘backlash.’ There is an interpretation that if the opposition continues its aggressive drive following the Special Prosecutor Act on the insurrection against President Yoon, it could instead provoke public resentment. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong said, "Now is the time to focus on the Special Prosecutor Act on the insurrection through discussions between the ruling and opposition parties," adding, "The Democratic Party risks appearing to be rushing to respond to the judicial risks of leader Lee Jae-myung’s alleged election law violations." Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy also explained, "While investigations into First Lady Kim Geon-hee should be conducted, it would be better to approach the timing of the Special Prosecutor Act after the Special Prosecutor Act on the insurrection has been somewhat concluded. The risk of backlash cannot be ruled out."

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