Democrats Push for Permanent Special Prosecutor Lee Jong-ho on 'Deutsche Motors'
Rules Changed... To Prevent People Power from Recommending Members
Park Ju-min "It Was Unavoidable to Prevent Conflicts of Interest"
The Democratic Party of Korea announced that it will use the Permanent Special Prosecutor Act (the Act on the Appointment of Special Prosecutors, etc.) to investigate allegations related to Kim Geon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol. The Permanent Special Prosecutor Act allows the formation of a special prosecutor without creating an individual special prosecutor law, provided there is a resolution by the National Assembly plenary session or a decision by the Minister of Justice. The Democratic Party plans to amend the operational rules of the Permanent Special Prosecutor Act to enable the opposition parties to take the lead in selecting the special prosecutor.
Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the National Assembly's inspection countermeasure meeting held on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
On the morning of the 8th, Kim Yong-min, the Democratic Party’s Deputy Floor Leader for Policy, along with lawmakers Kim Seung-won and Park Ju-min, submitted a 'Request for Permanent Special Prosecutor Investigation' to the National Assembly Secretariat. The investigation targets include allegations of interference in drug investigations and stock manipulation related to Sambu Construction. All allegations are connected to Kim Geon-hee. Deputy Floor Leader Kim said, "Both are related to Mr. Lee Jong-ho." Lee is the former head of an investment firm who was convicted in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case.
The composition of the seven-member 'Special Prosecutor Candidate Recommendation Committee,' which is formed to appoint the special prosecutor, will also be changed to be opposition-led. According to the National Assembly rule amendment proposed by the Democratic Party, when the president or the president’s family is under investigation, the president’s affiliated party cannot recommend members to the committee. Lawmaker Park said, "Since the rule amendment is not subject to veto, we had no choice but to proceed in this way."
Kim Yong-min, the Chief Policy Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (center), along with Representatives Park Ju-min (right) and Kim Seung-won, are submitting a request for a permanent special prosecutor investigation to the National Assembly's Legislative Affairs Office on the morning of the 8th. [Joint Coverage] [Image Source=Yonhap News]
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