The People Power Party will file a complaint accusing President Lee Jae-myung of abuse of power and obstruction of another's rights for ordering an inspection of prosecutors who collectively walked out during the trial of former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young. Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho is also included as a target of the complaint.

President Lee Jae-myung stands for the national ceremony at the Town Hall Meeting Hear the Heart of South Chungcheong at Korea University of Technology and Education in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on the 5th./Courtesy of News1

The People Power Party said in a notice on the 8th that at 11 a.m. that day it would submit a complaint to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) against the president and the Minister.

The People Power Party believes that the president and the Minister's order to inspect the prosecutors amounts to interference in the trial of the former vice governor, who is suspected as an accomplice, thereby constituting abuse of power.

Earlier, on the 26th, the president said there was "strong concern and regret over the prosecutors' acts of obstructing the trial" and ordered an inspection. Afterward, the Minister said that an inspection would be conducted by the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office regarding the prosecutors' collective walkout.

However, the president is guaranteed criminal immunity from prosecution. Article 84 of the Constitution states, "The president shall not be criminally prosecuted during tenure except for insurrection or treason." This means that even if it constitutes abuse of power, President Lee cannot be indicted during the term.

The People Power Party will also file complaints on charges of abuse of power and violation of the anti-graft law against Moon Jin-seok, the Democratic Party of Korea's senior deputy floor leader for parliamentary operations, and former Presidential Office secretary for digital communications Kim Nam-kuk—both tied to a personnel solicitation controversy—as well as Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and Presidential Office First Lady's Office Chief Kim Hyun-ji.

On the 2nd, on the floor of the National Assembly, Moon sent a text message to former secretary Kim asking him to recommend a fellow alumnus as head of the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Associatio (KAMA). The scene was captured by news cameras. A reply from secretary Kim's phone was also caught: "I'll recommend it to Hoon-sik hyung and Hyun-ji noona."

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