Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Gangwon Province governor, expressed concern that a special counsel probe to reverse what the party calls "fabricated indictments" — an initiative being driven by the Democratic Party — "could help rally conservatives." His remarks suggested that even if fabricated indictments targeting President Lee Jae-myung did occur, the method and timing of such a probe require further deliberation within the party.
Appearing on YTN Radio on Monday, Woo said, "The Democratic Party still has a tendency to lose ground on its own when the election mood is favorable." He added, "It is obvious that this will become controversial during the election, and I do not understand why the party is tabling this, proposing legislation and creating debate during such an important election period." He also said, "I heard that internal discussions within the Democratic Party will all be wrapped up today."
Woo predicted that the special counsel bill to reverse the prosecutions would work as a negative factor for the Democratic Party in the June 3 local elections. "Quite a few conservatives had lost energy and said they would not bother voting this time, but now they could react by saying, 'What is this?'" he said. "I understand the party will choose an approach that prevents it from becoming a further target of criticism and attack."
Woo also emphasized that excessive investigations were indeed conducted against President Lee. "It has now been confirmed that there were excessive investigations by prosecutors aimed at putting President Lee in prison at the time, and that there were clear circumstances that could be called fabricated indictments," he said. "However, as for whether to address this through a special counsel or another method, I believe it should be decided through internal party discussions after the local elections, and that the question of whether to pursue a special counsel at all should be reconsidered."
