Jang Dong-hyuk Calls Special Prosecutor Bill "Lee Jae-myung's Prison Break Act"… "Impeachment Is the Answer," He Insists
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, speaking at a rally in front of Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul on the 7th, described the 'Fabricated Prosecution Special Counsel Act' passed under the Democratic Party's leadership as "Lee Jae-myung's prison break act," asserting that "impeachment is the answer for a president with no will to defend the Constitution." In his speech at the rally, Jang pointed out that "they are using the power entrusted to them by the people solely to protect themselves" and that "they are destroying the Constitution with the very powers it grants them."
The rally, held in front of Gyeongbokgung Station in Jongno District, Seoul, was titled the "National Rally to Denounce the Passage of the Bad Bill Cancelling Lee Jae-myung's Trial." Some 70 People Power Party lawmakers attended, including Jang and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik. Police put attendance at around 6,000, while party officials estimated it at 150,000.
In his speech, Jang criticized the fact that the special counsel team would exceed 300 personnel with a budget topping 38 billion won, saying, "This is beyond the pale — they intend to spend 38 billion won of taxpayers' money to issue themselves a get-out-of-jail-free card." At the rally, Jang also called on Chief Justice Cho Hee-de and the courts to stop hesitating and immediately resume Lee Jae-myung's trial. He added that any judge lacking the courage to stand up to those in power should take off the robe at once.
The special counsel bill was passed at the National Assembly plenary session on the 6th, after the Democratic Party ended a roughly 24-hour filibuster requested by the People Power Party through a vote. The bill is formally titled the "Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor to Investigate Suspicions of Fabricated Investigations and Fabricated Indictments by the Prosecution Service, National Intelligence Service, and Board of Audit and Inspection under the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration."
According to the bill passed by the National Assembly, the fabricated prosecution special counsel investigation will be the largest and longest in history in both scale and duration. The team will comprise 309 members, including eight deputy special prosecutors, 20 dispatched prosecutors, and 70 special investigators, with an investigation period of up to 200 days, including 20 days of preparation and 90 days of basic investigation.
Under the bill, the investigation will cover a total of 12 cases involving President Lee Jae-myung and former President Moon Jae-in, including the Ssangbangwool remittances to North Korea; suspicions of development fraud and bribery involving Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and Wirye New Town; bribery related to Seongnam FC sponsorship; suspicions of corporate credit card misuse and breach of trust during Lee's tenure as Gyeonggi Province governor; the fatal shooting of a Fisheries Ministry official and the forcible repatriation of North Korean defector fishermen; bribery related to the employment of former President Moon's son-in-law; the THAAD secrets leak; and suspicions of manipulated economic assessments of Wolseong Nuclear Unit 1.
