PPP Denounces Railroading of Special Prosecutor Bills: "President Lee's Action Is Grounds for Impeachment"
The People Power Party held an on-site Supreme Council meeting in front of the former presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Tuesday to denounce the ruling party's railroading of what it called the "fabricated-prosecution special prosecutor bill," arguing that if President Lee Jae-myung attempts to break out of jail, the price will be nothing short of impeachment. "Jailbreak" is a metaphor for escaping legal restraint such as detention, and the PPP's point was that if President Lee takes action to legally evade trial proceedings, he will face the judgment of the people. The party held its on-site Supreme Council meeting on Tuesday morning in front of Sarangchae at Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where its leadership defined the bill's re-vote and its passage through the Cabinet Council as a "jailbreak project."
Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk criticized, "The Lee Jae-myung Jailbreak Act has passed the National Assembly and been sent to Cheong Wa Dae. It is set to be approved at tomorrow's Cabinet meeting. The key to setting the prisoner Lee Jae-myung free has been placed in prisoner Lee Jae-myung's own hands." He added, "Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea, the special prosecutors, and Cheong Wa Dae—everyone involved in this jailbreak project will face the people's judgment." Jang warned that the moment the bill takes effect, the Lee impeachment project and the project to resume his trial will be set in motion.
Floor leader Chung Jeong-sik said the party will not call for a veto. "We will not ask the president to veto the bill. If he were the type to do so, things would never have come this far," Chung said. "He must bear in mind that the moment he signs this bill, the end of this administration comes faster and the resumption of President Lee's trial moves closer." Noting that the special prosecutor bill directly violates equality before the law and infringes on judicial authority by making cases already on trial the subject of investigation, he said the party will consider compiling its unconstitutional elements and filing a constitutional challenge, while also staging street protests.
Supreme Council member Shin Dong-wook said, "At a time when people are struggling to make a living, the president attempting to push through a jailbreak law by mobilizing the National Assembly and the judiciary is a laughingstock to the entire world." Policy Committee Chairwoman Lim I-ja said, "In five thousand years of history, I have never seen such a politician. Shameless and devoid of any sense of disgrace, he cares not at all what the people think. Shouldn't he be sent to prison now?"
