The Special Committee for the National Assembly inquiry into the truth of the alleged politically motivated fabricated indictments by prosecutorial authorities under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration ("fabricated indictments special inquiry") held its third meeting on the 31st and, led by the ruling party, adopted 103 people, including former SSANGBANGWOOL Chairman Kim Sung-tae, attorney Nam Wook, and Kim Man-bae, as witnesses for a hearing. Lawmakers from the People Power Party walked out.
The special inquiry committee approved agenda items including holding hearings, demanding the attendance of witnesses and reference persons, and conducting on-site investigations. The hearings will open on the 14th of next month with the alleged fabricated indictments case over SSANGBANGWOOL's remittances to North Korea, followed on the 16th by the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town development cases and the case involving former Institute for Democracy Deputy Director Kim Yong, and on the 21st by the case of the West Sea civil servant shooting and the alleged manipulation of real estate statistics. A comprehensive hearing will then be held on the 28th.
The ruling and opposition parties also clashed over the witness list. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sung-joon criticized the People Power Party for putting former leader Han Dong-hoon on the witness list, saying, "It is clear they intend to derail the national inquiry."
Park said, "The People Power Party is still hanging on to former Ministry of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon," adding, "Isn't it that, even after having already cast him aside themselves, they are trying to call the former minister to the national inquiry and turn it into a mess again?"
By contrast, People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek said, "Isn't there a person who called himself the designer of the Daejang-dong development scandal?" and added, "It is right to summon President Lee Jae-myung and key aides—Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji, Jeong Jin-sang, and Yoo Dong-gyu."
The People Power Party also raised issues over Democratic Party lawmakers' trial defense records. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hyeong-dong said of lawmakers Kim Seung-won, Kim Dong-a, and Lee Geon-tae, "The National Assembly Act requires members, if within two years before the start of their term they represented or provided counsel or advisory services to any individual, corporation, or organization, to report it, and Article 32-5 stipulates they should recuse themselves from the relevant matter," adding, "Voluntarily recusing is the only way to show the public that our committee is proceeding lawfully."
The Democratic Party also pushed back, challenging whether People Power Party lawmakers are even qualified to participate in the national inquiry. Park Sung-joon of the Democratic Party of Korea said, "Can those who engaged in unconstitutional acts that undermine constitutional values really take part in a national inquiry?" and argued, "Those who committed unconstitutional acts or defended them during past insurrection situations should be subject to disqualification."