The Democratic Party of Korea, which introduced a special counsel bill targeting alleged fabricated investigations and indictments under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration one month ahead of the June 3 local elections, emphasized the legitimacy of the legislation. However, with even the Progressive Party opposing the bill on the grounds that a special prosecutor appointed by President Lee would be empowered to withdraw charges in cases where Lee himself was indicted, some in political circles describe the push as a "political miscalculation."
On Tuesday, the Democratic Party focused on a public opinion campaign to counter the People Power Party's attack that the special counsel bill amounts to a "crime-erasing special counsel for President Lee."
"The special counsel act is a 'magnifying glass for truth' that illuminates hidden facts in detail," Democratic Party floor spokesperson Moon Keum-ju said in a statement. "The People Power Party's 'crime eraser' claim is nothing more than a crude framing that deliberately twists the essence of the bill to cloud public judgment." Moon added, "The special counsel act is by no means a device to cover up crimes. It is an institutional means to independently investigate allegations of fabricated investigations and political indictments to the end."
Moon issued another statement shortly afterward, saying, "The People Power Party is pouring out malicious slander." She added, "The ones who should truly kneel in apology before the people are the political prosecutors who privatized state power to engage in 'political opponent elimination' and 'fabricated investigations,' and the People Power Party that shielded them to the end." She stressed, "The essence of the special counsel bill lies in correcting the 'state violence' in which past political prosecutors abused their power to fabricate evidence and create crimes that never existed. Correcting wrongful indictments riddled with fabricated evidence is the common sense of the rule of law."
However, political observers are concerned that forcing through the special counsel bill could lead to the loss of moderate voters. "I don't understand why they are trying to pass it now when the special counsel could be pursued after the local elections," a Democratic Party official said. "The situation is favorable, but an election has to be seen through to the end. They seem too optimistic."
Concerns from within the progressive camp are also weighing on the ruling party. The Progressive Party recently stated, "We oppose the special counsel bill that paves the way for withdrawing indictments." The party argued that allowing a special prosecutor appointed by President Lee to withdraw charges in cases where Lee himself was indicted constitutes a violation of the separation of powers in itself. "Under the structure of the special counsel bill, the person effectively appoints a special prosecutor who holds the authority to withdraw charges in his own case," the Progressive Party said. "It is a procedure that cannot avoid controversy."
