Opposition-Led National Assembly Refers Impeachment Bills for Four Prosecutors to the Judiciary Committee in Plenary Session

Vote Proceeded Amid Absence of Opposition Lawmakers
Presidential Office and Prosecution Oppose Impeachment Proposal

On the 2nd, the National Assembly held a plenary session and referred the impeachment motion against four prosecutors investigating the allegations of preferential development in Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong involving Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the illegal North Korea remittance case of Ssangbangwool to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, passed the motion to refer the impeachment of Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kang Baek-shin of the Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-cheol of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Sang-yong of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, and Chief Prosecutor Eom Hee-jun of Bucheon District Prosecutors' Office to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the plenary session held that afternoon. The People Power Party held a party meeting at the time of the plenary session and abstained from voting.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park investigated the Ssangbangwool illegal North Korea remittance allegations involving former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young. Chief Prosecutor Eom and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kang investigated the allegations related to former leader Lee in Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim is suspected of having made a backdoor deal with Jang Si-ho, niece of Choi Soon-sil, in connection with the state affairs manipulation allegations.

Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, is giving an acceptance speech at the first plenary session of the 22nd National Assembly held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Earlier, the Democratic Party adopted and proposed the impeachment motion against the four prosecutors as a party resolution. The opposition plans to summon these prosecutors in relay at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to investigate the legality and appropriateness.

The Presidential Office and the prosecution have expressed opposition to the impeachment motion against the prosecutors. A Presidential Office official said to reporters on the day, "Impeaching the prosecutors who investigated former leader Lee is essentially the same as saying 'Let me investigate in the way I want,' or 'Let the Democratic Party have the investigative authority.'

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok also visited the press room at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the same day and criticized, "It is like moving the courtroom to the National Assembly, having the defendant, former leader Lee, act as the judge, and the Democratic Party lawmakers, who are the defense attorneys, along with the Democratic Party as the absolute majority in the National Assembly, taking away the role of the judiciary to retry the case."