Democrats Push Special Counsel Bill on 'Fabricated Indictments' and Police Reform in 100-Day Battle
Legislation regarding the special counsel probe into alleged fabricated indictments and police reform has emerged as a key battleground for the 100-day regular session of the National Assembly. The Assembly opens its regular session on September 1, marking the start of a power struggle between the ruling and opposition parties over the passage of next year's budget bill and major legislation. This follows the ruling Democratic Party's successive announcements of a special counsel bill to verify President Lee Jae-myung’s indictment cases and legislation to overhaul the police organization. The People Power Party (PPP) responded by unveiling 133 legislative tasks. The contours of a 100-day war, entangling legislation, budget, and confirmation hearings, are already becoming visible.
Move to Pass Special Counsel Bill on Fabricated Indictments Officialized... Why Now?
Lawmakers from the Democratic Party's Judiciary Committee recently officialized the need to push for a "Special Counsel Bill for Clarifying the Truth on Fabricated Investigations and Indictments." The aim is to have a special prosecutor determine whether there were any suspicions of fabrication in the investigation and indictment processes of the cases in which President Lee was prosecuted by prosecutors. The lawmakers stated, "We have agreed to coordinate the timing of the push with the party leadership." The special counsel system assigns cases with questions about investigative fairness to a third-party special prosecutor; this bill holds an exceptional nature as it deals with the circumstances of the President's own indictment. As the cautious approach from the party leadership—concerned about potential political backlash—is substantial, coordinating the timing of the bill's proposal has become the first hurdle.
Police Reform Legislation Sparked by Jeju Incident
Plans for police reform are also gaining speed. On the 29th, the Democratic Party declared its push for legislation to prevent recurrence, triggered by the incident where a missing person report was falsely closed by the Jeju Police Senior Superintendent. This response comes after the closing of a missing person report without proper investigation revealed loopholes in the initial response system.
"We will push for a complete overhaul of the police organization and legislation to prevent recurrence, while also preparing institutional improvements to block the possibility of shoddy investigations and protect the safety of the people." — Democratic Party
The logic is that responsibility must be commensurate with increased authority. It is expected that the backbone of follow-up legislation will involve strictly refining the legal standards for accepting and closing missing person reports and implementing measures to fundamentally block poor investigations. Discussions may also expand to include a review of the overall investigation command system.
PPP Intensifies Standoff with 133 Tasks
Ahead of the opening of the regular session, the People Power Party held a workshop for its lawmakers on the 27th and 28th, unveiling 133 legislative tasks. The meeting confirmed the party’s stance of struggling against the ruling administration under the pretext of opposing the "destruction of the rule of law by the Lee Jae-myung regime." Leader Han Dong-hoon and Floor Leader Jeong Jin-seok emphasized party unity with one voice. However, differing interpretations within the party were also observed regarding the message left by former President Park Geun-hye, who attended the workshop.
"We will stand against the Lee Jae-myung regime that is destroying tomorrow." — PPP Workshop
The reason the opposition party's backlash against the special counsel bill on fabricated indictments is bound to be intense is clear. If the framework of a special counsel re-verifying the indictment cases of an incumbent president is seen as the politicization of judicial procedures, the opposition bloc is likely to take issue with the damaging effect on trust. Once the bill is referred to the Judiciary Committee, difficulties are expected from the review stage onwards.
100-Day Legislative Schedule Intertwined with Budget Bill
The legislative battle also intersects with the special counsel phase. The special counsel team for the National Election Commission (NEC) has launched an investigation into the ballot paper shortage during the June 3 local elections and recently requested the Korean Bar Association to recommend eligible candidates for special investigators to bolster its manpower. This is interpreted as a move to accelerate the investigation. The procedure for appointing a Special Inspector, reactivated after about 10 years, is also expected to act as another fuse for the ruling-opposition standoff. There is a high possibility of conflict during the selection of the candidate responsible for inspecting misconduct by high-ranking public officials and the parliamentary approval process.
Once the timing coordination with the party leadership is finalized, the Special Counsel Bill on Fabricated Indictments will proceed through the steps of proposal, Judiciary Committee review, and plenary vote. As the ruling-opposition standoff intensifies, a race against time and obstruction tactics are likely to be repeated starting from the Judiciary Committee stage. Since next year's budget bill must be processed by early December before the start of the fiscal year, the schedules for the special counsel bill and police reform legislation are expected to flow in tandem with the budget negotiation phase. Along with the processing of livelihood bills such as real estate supply legislation, whether the ruling and opposition parties choose cooperation or confrontation is expected to be the decisive factor of this regular session.
