Jeon Hyun-hee, chief coordinator of the Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee for Comprehensive Response to the Three Special Prosecutor Investigations, gives a greeting at the Three Special Prosecutor Response Committee's "Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor TF meeting" held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul on the 15th morning. /Courtesy of News1

The Democratic Party of Korea argued that, following the "insurrection-only panel" that handles insurrection cases, a "state capture-only panel" should also be set up to handle the Kim Keon-hee and fallen marine special counsels. Commissioners on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party pushed back, calling it "a full-on challenge to the Constitution and the separation of powers."

Jeon Hyun-hee, a lawmaker who serves as chairperson of the Democratic Party's special committee for a comprehensive response to the three major special counsels, held a "Kim Keon-hee special counsel task force meeting" at the National Assembly on the 15th and said, "Not only the insurrection-only panel, but the establishment of a 'state capture-only panel' related to the Kim Keon-hee special counsel and the fallen marine special counsel is urgent."

Chairperson Jeon said, "Going forward, within the special committee we will gather in-party views on the need for a state capture-only panel and its legal basis and push it forward actively."

She also drew a line on the controversy over the unconstitutionality of the insurrection-only panel. Chairperson Jeon said, "It is the judiciary that is interfering in politics to claim 'unconstitutional' over a constitutionally valid court composition, and rather it is the judiciary that is shaking the independence of the judiciary," adding, "The proposition of judicial independence is a concept that must be subordinated under the value of popular sovereignty."

Na Kyung-won and other Judiciary Committee members hold a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 15th urging the Democratic Party of Korea and the Blue House to call for the Supreme Court Chief Justice's resignation, condemning the special court for insurrection, and demanding the swift resumption of the five suspended trials of President Lee Jae-myung. /Courtesy of News1

The opposition is strongly pushing back. People Power Party commissioners on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly that day and pointed out that it was "a full-on challenge to the Constitution and the separation of powers, and a declaration of war to move toward a dictatorship."

Na Kyung-won, a lawmaker who is the People Power Party's floor manager on the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said, "To complete the false agitation of insurrection-mongering, there must be a guilty verdict for insurrection, and the Democratic Party is saying it will write that guilty verdict itself," adding, "But because a special court provokes public backlash, they are papering it over as an exclusive panel, yet the two are no different." She went on, "Even if you create an exclusive panel, if necessary it is for the judiciary to judge on its own," and argued, "The very moment the Democratic Party mentions and intervenes in this, that in itself is unconstitutional."

Na said, "The independence of the judiciary starts with random assignment of cases," and protested, "In short, this exclusive panel tramples on the principle of randomness in case assignment and is an attempt to reduce trials to political trials."

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