The People Power Party on Monday stepped up attacks against the ruling bloc's plan to investigate prosecutors' alleged power abuse against President Lee Jae Myung, calling it an "insane" attempt to allow Lee to "escape from prison."
The ruling party-dominated parliament on Friday passed a bill to launch a 200-day special counsel into criminal indictments against Lee and former liberal President Moon Jae-in. The bill now awaits final signing by the president.
"In the end, Lee holds the key to unlock his own prison and escape from it," People Power Party chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok said during a party supreme council meeting convened in front of the Cheong Wa Dae.
Jang also called the bill the liberal bloc's "insane project" for Lee's "jailbreak," adding the president's approval of the special counsel plan will amount to "abuse of his power entrusted by his people for the sake of his own merit."
The conservative People Power Party's leadership meeting held near the presidential office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, was followed by one-person protests by People Power Party lawmakers who took turns protesting throughout the day.
Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, the People Power Party floor leader, protested the use of 38 billion won ($28 million) of taxpayers' money for the special counsel's investigation: "Why should ordinary people bear the cost to see whether indictments against the liberal presidents were just or unjust?"
He also said his party will consider filing a constitutional appeal regarding the special counsel bill. Jeong said the bill has unconstitutional elements, as it unfairly handles the legal cases of powerful figures, and as Lee has the power to appoint the counsel that investigates his cases.
The special counsel proposed by the bill passed Friday aims to investigate any power abuse by the prosecution as well as South Korea's spy agency and state audit agency.
The bill views criminal cases involving Lee and Moon as ones influenced by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The liberal bloc believes all cases brought against Lee and Moon were the result of the investigating authorities' persecution through fabrication of evidence.
The opposition has argued that the ruling party's claims are groundless, given that the Justice Ministry's previous attempt to investigate authorities bore no fruit. The proposed special counsel also does not clearly state what power abuse was committed by the authorities.
An independent committee to probe prosecutors' power abuse was run under former Rep. Jung Sung-ho, a Democratic Party lawmaker who formerly served as its minister in the Lee administration.
Lee faces five criminal trials, including one for his alleged involvement in a land corruption scandal in southern Gyeonggi Province. All of his court proceedings were suspended shortly after he took office in June 2025.
Earlier versions of the proposed bill had been criticised for a clause that would have allowed the special counsel to cancel all of Lee's indictments if they were found to have been politically motivated. That clause was removed from the bill that was passed friday.
Meanwhile, People Power Party lawmakers have since said they would boycott the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly and vowed not to take part in its budget review process. The boycott's impact will be limited, as the committee is chaired by lawmakers of the Democratic Party, which also holds its majority in the committee.
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