The non-profit organization "People Who Make Good Laws" (Chakanbeop), which includes 232 lawyers, issued a statement urging the opposition party to immediately halt its push to pass what they called the "Lee Jae-myung Democratic Party presidential candidate bulletproof law."
In a statement released on May 8, Chakanbeop said, "We firmly oppose and express deep concern over amending laws for the private interests of a specific individual," adding, "Criminal punishment is not a tool for those in power. Any self-serving legal amendment to protect a particular individual must be stopped immediately."
On May 7, the Democratic Party passed a bill in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee to suspend ongoing criminal trials for a president-elect, as well as a bill in the Public Administration and Security Committee to ease penalties for the dissemination of false information about a candidate's actions under the Public Official Election Act. These amendments have been criticized as "bulletproof legislation" aimed at eliminating judicial risks for candidate Lee Jae-myung after the presidential election.
Chakanbeop stated, "This amendment would, in effect, remove grounds for conviction against a specific presidential candidate by preventing punishment for the dissemination of false information about a candidate's actions," and added, "If the amendment is promulgated, there is a high possibility that candidate Lee Jae-myung will receive a dismissal verdict in his ongoing trials." Currently, Lee is facing 12 charges across 5 trials.
The group described the amendments as "self-serving legislation for a specific individual and a grave threat that undermines the rule of law," explaining their reasons for opposing the legislative attempt. Chakanbeop further pointed out, "Amending laws for a particular individual is self-interested legislation that violates the Constitution," and "Such amendments undermine legal equity in similar cases, and legislation for a specific politician amounts to the privatization of legislative power."
They also stated, "The Democratic Party is preoccupied with legislation aimed at shielding elected officials from legal accountability," and, "This clearly denies the generality of the law and the principle of equality before the law, constituting an abuse of legislative power and an infringement on the judicial system." They continued, "The politicization of law undermines public trust and legal sentiment," and, "Tailored amendments to criminal law for politicians foster public distrust that 'the law changes to favor those in power.'"
Chakanbeop emphasized, "Public officials are held to the highest standards of morality and legal responsibility, and even the Supreme Court has ruled that candidates for public office are required to meet a higher standard of truthfulness and accuracy than ordinary citizens." They stressed, "Nevertheless, attempts to neutralize convictions through legal amendments deny the authority of the judiciary and undermine the fundamental democratic principle of separation of powers."
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