The Democratic Party of Korea is launching a parliamentary inquiry into cases prosecuted by the prosecution during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The cancellation-of-indictment targets include a case involving President Lee Jae-myung. However, as some in politics raise suspicions that the presidential office made a transaction over canceling the indictment in Lee's case in exchange for preserving parts of the supplementary investigation authority for the Office of Prosecution, noise is expected to arise over the Democratic Party's push for canceling indictments.
The Democratic Party's Parliamentary Inquiry Promotion Committee for Fact-Finding on Fabricated Indictments by the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration and for Canceling Indictments (Parliamentary Inquiry Promotion Committee) submitted a "request for a parliamentary inquiry into alleged fabricated indictments by the political prosecution under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration" to the National Assembly's bill office at 11 a.m. on the 11th. The request is scheduled to be reported to the National Assembly's plenary session on the 12th.
The cases subject to the parliamentary inquiry are seven in total: ▲ the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment case ▲ the Wirye New Town development corruption case ▲ the SSANGBANGWOOL remittances to North Korea case ▲ the case of alleged political fund receipt by former Democratic Research Institute deputy director Kim Yong ▲ the alleged manipulation of real estate statistics under the Moon Jae-in administration ▲ the West Sea civil servant shooting case ▲ the defamation case involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol related to reports of the Busan Savings Bank probe being stifled.
The Democratic Party plans to push for a special counsel (special prosecutor) depending on the results of the parliamentary inquiry. After submitting the request, Rep. Park Sung-joon, a vice chair of the Parliamentary Inquiry Promotion Committee, told reporters, "Correcting the political prosecution's fabricated indictments is how to set the democratic republic right and normalize state affairs," adding, "From the perspective of stabilizing the constitutional order, this parliamentary inquiry is essential."
However, the parliamentary inquiry on canceling indictments does not appear likely to proceed smoothly. This comes after a former journalist appearing on Kim Ou-joon's YouTube channel raised a so-called "transaction theory," suggesting that "the presidential office and the government agreed to cancel the indictment in the president's case in exchange for leaving parts of the Office of Prosecution's supplementary investigation authority intact." As hard-liners in the Democratic Party had been insisting on the complete abolition of the supplementary investigation authority, controversy is spreading even among supporters.
The Parliamentary Inquiry Promotion Committee offered no particular position on the so-called "supplementary investigation authority–indictment cancellation transaction theory." Asked by reporters about its stance on the theory, Rep. Park said, "There is no room to respond," and Rep. Yang Bu-nam said, "This parliamentary inquiry is not for a specific individual (the president)."
Party leadership also reacted with fury to the transaction theory raised on Kim Ou-joon's YouTube channel. Han Jeong-ae, the Democratic Party's policy committee chair, wrote on Facebook that day, "The indictment cancellation transaction theory raised by a YouTube channel goes beyond absurd and is dumbfounding," adding, "It is infuriating in that it presupposes the broadest interpretation of direct presidential involvement."
Han Jun-ho, a pro–Lee Jae-myung lawmaker from the same party, also said the previous day, "On a broadcast, they casually spout baseless conspiracy theories no better than street gossip to attack the Lee Jae-myung administration and divide party members and the public," adding, "If it is true, they must present evidence. Spreading conspiracy theories is not criticism."