The leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) staged a protest in front of the former presidential Blue House against the "Special Counsel Act on Prosecution Fabrication of Investigations and Indictments under the Yoon Suk-yeol Government," which leaves open the possibility of dropping charges in cases related to President Lee Jae-myung. The move is seen as a strategy to rally conservative support ahead of the June 3 local elections. Within the ruling Democratic Party (DP), concerns are emerging over the bill's negative impact on the elections, along with calls to revise the special counsel legislation.
The PPP leadership held an on-site supreme council meeting in front of the Blue House Sarangchae on Friday to denounce the fabricated indictment special counsel bill. PPP leader Chang Dong-hyuk said, "In Lee Jae-myung's eyes, there is no economy, no livelihood, no diplomacy, no security — nothing but the thought of avoiding prison." He stressed, "The illegal remittance to North Korea, the Daejang-dong corruption, perjury and misuse of corporate cards, and election law violations (related to President Lee) are blatant and shameless crimes from which he cannot escape imprisonment, no matter how much he intimidates the judiciary."
Chang raised his voice while referring to Lee without the title of "president." "He is trying to appoint his own special counsel to erase his own crimes altogether," he said. "Dropping the charges will go beyond erasing Lee Jae-myung's crimes and become the final tollgate on the road to Lee Jae-myung's dictatorship." He added, "It seems going to prison is frightening, but the people are not frightening at all." Floor leader Song Eon-seok also characterized the special counsel bill as "an unprecedented self-pardon law in constitutional history," criticizing it by saying, "The idea that the Constitution is above the law and the president is above the Constitution is a way of thinking that appears in communist ideology."
The DP is in a state of unease. In particular, with voices arguing that the bill is acting as a negative factor that could trigger a departure of centrist voters ahead of the local elections, individual candidates are voicing dissatisfaction. As concerns grow among candidates, the party appears to be adjusting its pace by postponing the handling of the special counsel bill until after the elections. DP floor leader Han Byung-do said, "We will go through a sufficient deliberation process on the timing, procedures, and content of the bill after the local elections." With opposition voices emerging from the Justice Party, which belongs to the broader ruling bloc, as well as progressive organizations such as the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), analysts say the burden of pushing through the special counsel has grown.
Some within the ruling bloc argue that not only the timing but also the provision granting the special counsel the authority to drop charges should be revised. The currently proposed special counsel bill gives the special counsel the authority to drop charges in cases related to President Lee that are currently on trial, but some argue this authority should instead be entrusted to the Minister of Justice, who holds the power to direct investigations. A DP Legislation and Judiciary Committee official said, "Discussions are underway to change the authority to drop charges," adding, "Opinions are divided internally, so further discussion is needed."
Candidates worried about the negative impact on the election campaign are lending more weight to the revision argument. Lee Kwang-jae, the DP candidate running in the by-election for Hanam-A in Gyeonggi Province, said, "Getting to the truth is necessary," but added, "It is right to handle the remaining content after the truth is established, in line with the public's expectations."
