Special Prosecutor Law for Chaesangbyeong and Kim Yeosa Passes Opposition-Only Judiciary Committee Subcommittee

The special prosecutor law concerning allegations related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol (Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Law), passed the first subcommittee of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 9th solely by the Democratic Party of Korea. The law now includes additional allegations of interference in candidate nominations for the April 10 general election.

According to political circles, Kim Seung-won, the Democratic Party's floor leader in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, told reporters at the National Assembly that the Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Law had passed the subcommittee.

Specifically, the special prosecutor investigation targets include eight allegations raised against Mrs. Kim, such as the suspected stock price manipulation and low-price stock purchase of Deutsche Motors, personnel interference and candidate nomination interference, and allegations of receiving luxury handbags, Kim said.

Kim said, "I thought it was a simple stock price manipulation, but now suspicions close to state affairs manipulation keep emerging," adding, "All these allegations were included within the scope of the special prosecutor law."

The ruling People Power Party opposed the bill's passage and left the session without participating in the vote. The People Power Party subcommittee members argued that the investigation targets listed in the special prosecutor law were unjustified, ambiguous, and abstract, and believed further discussion was necessary.

Kim Seung-won, Subcommittee Chairman, Talking with Officials
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Joo-hyung = On the morning of the 9th, at the first bill review subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Kim Seung-won, a member of the Democratic Party, is seen talking with officials. 2024.9.9
kjhpress@yna.co.kr
(End)


＜Copyright(c) Yonhap News Agency, Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, AI training and use prohibited＞

Yoo Sang-beom, the People Power Party's floor leader in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, told reporters in front of the meeting room, "The investigation targets are not specifically identified; simply because a line of suspicion appeared in the media, everything is being made a subject of investigation," criticizing the Democratic Party by calling it "a political ploy to put the Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Law on the Chuseok table."

Earlier, the 'Special Prosecutor Appointment Act for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine' (Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Law), jointly proposed by the five opposition parties including the Democratic Party, also passed the bill subcommittee on the same day.

This so-called 'third-party recommendation special prosecutor law' is the fourth bill proposed by the opposition parties. It stipulates that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court recommends four candidates for special prosecutor, the Democratic Party and non-negotiating opposition parties narrow them down to two, and the president appoints one from among them.

Kim Seung-won expressed regret over the ruling party's absence and said, "I once again request active participation in the plenary session for the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Law, just like with the Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Law."

Political circles expect that the two special prosecutor laws, which passed the subcommittee on the day, could be put to a vote in the plenary session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 10th and then in the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 12th.