Parliamentary Inquiry into Allegations of Politically Motivated Prosecutions Holds First Meeting
On May 20th, the special committee for the 'Parliamentary Inquiry into the Truth of Allegations of Fabricated Prosecutions by Political Prosecutors of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration' held its first meeting at the National Assembly, but it launched amid disruption as members of the People Power Party walked out. This special committee is the result of the Democratic Party's push to verify the legality of prosecutorial investigations under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration at the legislative level, and is scheduled to proceed for about 50 days. The scope of this parliamentary inquiry includes not only institutions such as the prosecution, courts, National Intelligence Service, and Financial Supervisory Service, but also companies like Ssangbangul.
Key investigation targets include the Daejang-dong and Ssangbangul North Korea remittance cases related to Lee Jae-myung, real estate manipulation cases from the Moon Jae-in administration, and the West Sea public official shooting incident. Clashes between the ruling and opposition parties occurred from the first meeting of the special parliamentary inquiry committee. The People Power Party defined the inquiry as a 'Special Committee to Erase President Lee Jae-myung's Sins' and walked out of the meeting, protesting that it was an unconstitutional act interfering with ongoing trials and investigations.
The Prosecution Office Act, which abolishes the investigative powers of prosecutors and establishes a prosecution office solely responsible for indictments, passed the National Assembly's plenary session on the 20th. The Prosecution Office Act passed with 164 votes in favor and 1 vote against out of 165 present. Consequently, starting in October, prosecutors will only be responsible for filing and maintaining indictments. The bill to establish a Major Crimes Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety was also submitted to the plenary session. The People Power Party opposed the Major Crimes Investigation Agency Act and filed for a filibuster, while the Democratic Party plans to process the bill in the plenary session after a 24-hour debate.