'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act' Unilaterally Approved by the Opposition in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee Subcommittee

Plan to Process at the Plenary Session on the 27th

The 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act' passed the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee with the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) alone. The DPK plans to process the special prosecutor law sequentially at the full Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting on the 26th and the plenary session on the 27th.

On the 24th, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held the first subcommittee meeting to deliberate and approve the "Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Illegal Election Interference and State Affairs Manipulation Related to Myeong Taegyun." Members of the People Power Party (PPP) opposed the contents of the special prosecutor bill, left the subcommittee meeting room, and abstained from voting.

On the 24th, at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's Bill Review Subcommittee 1 meeting held at the National Assembly, Subcommittee Chairman Park Beom-gye is convening a meeting to review bills including the Myeong Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act. 2025.2.24 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

According to the bill, the special prosecutor will investigate allegations that Myeong Taegyun, then-candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, and Mrs. Kim Geon-hee were involved in illegal and false opinion polls used during the 20th presidential election and primary process. The investigation targets suspicions that Myeong provided opinion polls free of charge and, in return, there were exchanges of interests and privileges such as interference in candidate nominations.

Suspicions of state affairs manipulation involving Myeong and Mrs. Kim, as private individuals, interfering in major decision-making by the government, local governments, and various institutions?including the 2022 Daewoo Shipbuilding strike and the selection of Changwon National Industrial Complex?are also included in the investigation scope.

Furthermore, the DPK believes that the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office, which investigated Myeong, deliberately delayed the investigation into allegations of interference in candidate nominations involving President Yoon and his wife. Therefore, the investigation will also include whether higher authorities, such as the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Office of the President's Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, were involved.

Previously, the subcommittee had also tabled the special prosecutor law on the 17th but postponed the vote once due to opposition from the PPP. The DPK is expected to process the passed 'Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act' at the full Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting on the 26th and then approve it at the plenary session on the 27th.