Yangpyeong Official's Death Sparks Fierce Dispute... Opposition: "Investigate the Special Prosecutor," Ruling Party: "Ploy"

Song Eon-seok: "Witnesses Forced to Give Distorted Testimony... Attempted Fabrication of Investigation"
Park Soo-hyun: "People Power Party Must Stop Undermining the Special Prosecutor and Cooperate with the Investigation"

The death of a public official from Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, who had been questioned by the Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor's team investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, has ignited a heated dispute between the ruling and opposition parties.

On October 12, Song Eon-seok, floor leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly and announced his intention to introduce the so-called "Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor's Violent Investigation Special Act" in relation to the death of the Yangpyeong County official.

Song stated, "The monstrous special prosecutor, created by the unilateral push of the ruling party, has inflicted lawful violence on citizens who should be protected by the state, ultimately leading to death." He asserted, "To ensure that no more innocent citizens fall victim to the coercive investigations of the special prosecutor, we must thoroughly investigate the alleged anti-human rights and violent investigative practices of the special prosecutor and reveal the truth without ambiguity."

Regarding the handwritten memo left by the deceased, he said, "It appears that the investigation forced the deceased to provide distorted testimony by predetermining the conclusion and then fitting the statements to match," adding, "This is, in short, a heinous act of violent investigation, an attempt at fabricated investigation, and a move to pursue fabricated indictments."

He further stated, "I trust that National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, who has been at the forefront of protecting human rights, and the Democratic Party will agree to this special prosecutor bill to address the injustice suffered by the deceased. I hope the floor leader of the ruling party will convene a plenary session as soon as possible to process the bill. If the Democratic Party truly intends to open a plenary session on the 15th to handle the bill, the first step should be to reach an agreement on how to proceed with the special prosecutor act before that."

Members of the People Power Party on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee also held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, stating, "We have additionally requested that those involved with the Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor be called as witnesses for the parliamentary audit," and added, "We will ensure that the illegality of the investigative procedures in the case of the public official's death at the hands of the Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor is fully uncovered during the audit."

Kim Seon-kyo, a member of the People Power Party, appeared before the Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor's team investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee and disclosed a memo on social media said to have been left by A, a public official from Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, who died after being questioned. / Kim Seon-kyo Facebook Photo by Yonhap News

The Democratic Party criticized the People Power Party's offensive against the Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor's team as "a ploy to evade their own crimes." Park Soo-hyun, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party, said at a press conference at the National Assembly, "We hope the People Power Party will first show the minimum level of human decency to the deceased and the bereaved family. Expressing solemn respect and condolences in the face of a dignified death is the duty of all people," he said, urging, "The People Power Party should stop undermining the special prosecutor and cooperate with the investigation."

Spokesperson Moon Dae-rim also released a statement, saying, "What is needed in the face of this painful tragedy is not politics, but human condolence and reflection," and emphasized, "Using the deceased as a pretext to criticize the special prosecutor and exploiting the death as a tool for political logic is a clear insult to the deceased."

He continued, "Although the death of the deceased should serve as an opportunity for thorough truth-finding and social reflection to prevent recurrence, the People Power Party is instead using it as grounds to undermine the special prosecutor. The People Power Party must immediately stop using the deceased as a subject of political strife."