Presidential Office Responds to Lee Jae-myung's Special Prosecutor Demand, Saying "Ruling Party Floor Leader Has Already Answered"

Signs of Yoon's Policy Speech Boycott, "It Is Parliament's Duty to Work Together for Livelihood Recovery"

On the 16th, one day before President Yoon Suk-yeol's 100th day in office, the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul is shown. President Yoon, emphasizing the elimination of authoritarianism, moved the seat of government from the former Blue House to Yongsan. With the president's office relocated to Yongsan, the Blue House has been fully opened to the public. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 21st, the Presidential Office commented on Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's demand for a special prosecutor regarding the Daejang-dong scandal, stating, "I understand that Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, has already responded."

On the 21st, during a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office, when a reporter asked, "This morning, Leader Lee proposed a special prosecutor to the ruling party and the Presidential Office. Does the Presidential Office have a position on this?" the official responded as above without further comment.

On the same day, Leader Lee held a press conference concerning allegations of illegal presidential election funds involving Kim Yong, deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, reiterating his previous stance that "not a single won of private gain was taken," while proposing the introduction of a special prosecutor not only for the Daejang-dong scandal but also for matters related to President Yoon Seok-youl.

Following Leader Lee's press conference, Floor Leader Joo immediately held an emergency press briefing, stating, "A special prosecutor is introduced when investigations are not properly conducted or when the investigation cannot be trusted. Now that the regime has changed and investigations have properly begun, they are demanding a special prosecutor," adding, "This is nothing but intentional stalling and an attempt to dilute the investigation."

Floor Leader Joo also emphasized, "From our experience, the more special prosecutors are involved, the more political strife intensifies," and stressed, "The only way to eliminate political strife and focus on people's livelihoods is for the prosecution to conduct swift, strict, and proper investigations and report the results to the public."

Regarding a reporter's comment that "the opposition party has hinted at boycotting President Yoon's National Assembly policy speech scheduled for the 25th, and there seems to be only conflict in a situation where cooperation is needed on the budget and other matters," the official responded cautiously, saying, "It seems unnecessary to comment in advance on a situation that has not yet been confirmed," and added, "We will observe the situation further."

However, the official pointed out, "As you mentioned, the regular National Assembly session is underway, and important matters such as the passage of next year's budget are before the Assembly," adding, "Regardless of external circumstances, the National Assembly's duty and the people's wish are to put their heads together to restore livelihoods and revive the economy."

Regarding the anti-government rally scheduled for the 22nd of this month, the official stated a fundamental position, saying, "Freedom of assembly is one of the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution," and added, "We hope that laws and order will be observed so as not to cause harm to other citizens."

Furthermore, the official added, "While the Presidential Office will listen more attentively to the diverse voices of the people, actions that shake the constitutional order are not desirable for the country."