Ruling Party Delays Special Counsel Bill on Alleged Fabricated Indictments

The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to hold further discussions on a special counsel bill targeting allegedly fabricated indictments, legislation that had been expected to pass as early as next month. The party plans to focus first on bills tied to household livelihoods, reflecting both hardline resistance from the People Power Party, which adopted a formal resolution opposing the bill, and internal calls to slow the process.

Jeon Eun-soo, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said after a general meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly on the 29th that "there was agreement on the need for a special counsel bill on fabricated indictments, but after gathering opinions within the party, we plan to take another look after the October parliamentary audit."

The Democratic Party had initially considered passing the bill at a plenary session on Oct. 1. President Lee Jae-myung recently said at a news conference that the special counsel should not be given the authority to withdraw indictments, prompting expectations that the party would push a revised version with that provision removed.

The party has instead decided to prioritize livelihood legislation next month. "The Democratic Party wants to conduct a parliamentary audit that goes all in on people's livelihoods," Jeon said. "We will work hard with an attitude of empathy for the lives and hardships of the public." At the Oct. 1 plenary session, the party plans to take up the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Act on the Improvement of Urban Areas and Residential Environments, among others.

The People Power Party signaled a hardline response the same day, adopting a formal party resolution to oppose the bill. "They say it is fine because the special counsel will not be given the authority to withdraw indictments, but this is a fraud on the public," the party said, adding that "ordering an investigation with a foregone conclusion of fabricated indictment is itself a build-up toward withdrawing the indictments, carried out with that goal already set." The party also plans to hold a large rally near City Hall Station in Seoul on Oct. 3 to condemn the bill and other major issues.