Ruling Party Backs Off Prosecution Withdrawal Bill, Citing Weak Public Support

A senior policy official of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said a special counsel bill investigating allegations of fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae-myung and others cannot move forward without broader public backing. "I don't think we can push through a bill that has yet to win enough public support," said Kim Han-gyu, the party's chief deputy floor leader for policy. Kim also left open the possibility of scaling back the bill itself, noting arguments that "a prosecutor can withdraw an indictment independently" rather than granting that power to a special counsel.

Speaking on CPBC Radio, Kim was asked about sentiment within the party over the push for the special counsel bill on fabricated indictments. "Shouldn't we first take care of people's livelihoods?" he said, signaling that passage of the bill could be delayed.

"First of all, the public needs to feel that the fabricated indictments were truly egregious," Kim said. "Even though the National Assembly's special committee on fabricated indictments has been active, public opinion does not appear to have turned in our favor to that degree."

"Moving straight to passing the special counsel bill again without doing that groundwork first does not fit the current situation," he said. "This is something we can pursue only if we have public support."

Kim also raised the possibility of removing the provision granting the special counsel the power to withdraw indictments. "There are arguments such as, 'Shouldn't we run the special counsel without the withdrawal provision?' and 'Couldn't a prosecutor independently withdraw an indictment after establishing the facts, if necessary?'" he said.

Still, passage during the regular parliamentary session cannot be ruled out. Chief spokesperson Park Sung-joon, speaking in a personal capacity, said the bill "should be handled once the regular September session of the National Assembly begins," while Rep. Park Kyun-taek of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee has urged prompt action, saying it "must be passed quickly."