The Legislation and Judiciary Committee Clashes at the Central District Prosecutors' Office Audit... Opposition Strengthens 'Kim Geon-hee' Offensive

The ruling and opposition parties clashed in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee over the prosecution's decision not to indict First Lady Kim Geon-hee on allegations of stock price manipulation involving Deutsche Motors. The opposition party plans to intensify its attacks on First Lady Kim and President Yoon Seok-yeol not only through the national audit but also via a special prosecutor investigation.

Sehyun Park, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, is reporting on duties during the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 18th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On the morning of the 18th, at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's national audit held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, targeting the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, and Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in a heated debate over First Lady Kim from the start. Lee Geon-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized Busan High Prosecutors' Office Chief Song Kyung-ho's remark that "(the Democratic Party) makes incomprehensible claims to shield the party leader despite no grounds for impeachment of the prosecution," saying, "We faced the behavior of political prosecutors on site," and added, "Disrespecting the National Assembly is disrespecting the people, and we cannot let this pass."

The ruling party immediately pushed back. Yoo Sang-beom, the ruling party's Legislation and Judiciary Committee secretary and a member of the People Power Party, pointed out, "Didn't you first insult First Lady Kim by comparing her to Her Majesty the Queen?"

In response, the opposition continued its criticism of First Lady Kim. Park Ji-won, a Democratic Party member, said, "The People Power Party shrinks whenever they stand in front of First Lady Kim." Additionally, Jeong Cheong-rae, the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, rebutted, "Representative Lee said he could not accept the non-indictment of First Lady Kim, but (Chief Song of Busan High Prosecutors' Office) jumped out and claimed the impeachment of prosecutors was to shield the opposition party leader."

The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon) decided not to indict First Lady Kim, who was suspected of violating the Capital Markets Act, the day before. Son Mo, the 'jeonju' (錢主, financial backer) of the stock price manipulation allegations, was convicted on charges of aiding and abetting, but First Lady Kim received the opposite investigative result. The prosecution explained the reason for the non-indictment decision was that First Lady Kim lacked relevant knowledge or expertise, and there was no evidence or witness testimony supporting the allegations.

The opposition is applying comprehensive pressure on President Yoon along with First Lady Kim. The Democratic Party introduced the third 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act' the day before. This special prosecutor act includes allegations of stock price manipulation, luxury bag acceptance, the Yangpyeong highway route change suspicion, and even allegations of illegal opinion polling by Myung Tae-gyun. They are also preparing a permanent special prosecutor system that can bypass the president's veto power. On the 16th, the Democratic Party unilaterally submitted a proposal to the National Assembly's Steering Committee to exclude the ruling party from the permanent special prosecutor system and referred it to a subcommittee. Members of the People Power Party protested the opposition's push and all walked out of the meeting room.