Special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments introduced at plenary session

The National Assembly brought a special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments before a plenary session on Thursday. Speaker Cho Jeong-sik introduced it over objections from the People Power Party, which launched a filibuster; the Democratic Party of Korea said it would end the tactic after 24 hours and hold a vote Friday. The bill would investigate 12 cases, including six involving President Lee Jae Myung. The final version omits a clause that would have allowed the special prosecutor to cancel indictments.

The six cases involving Lee stem from his time as Seongnam mayor or Gyeonggi Province governor and include allegations involving development schemes, illegal remittances to North Korea and misuse of a government charge card.

The other six cases mostly concern events during former President Moon Jae-in’s administration.

Trials arising from the charges against Lee were suspended after his election as president in June last year under Article 84 of the Constitution.

Lee would choose the special prosecutor from three candidates recommended by the DPK, PPP and Rebuilding Korea Party.

The special counsel team could include up to 309 personnel and work for a maximum of 200 days.

Published Nov 5, 2026 4:18 pm KST

Updated Nov 5, 2026 5:15 pm KST

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, center, bangs the gavel during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

A bill calling for a special counsel probe into allegations of fabricated indictments targeting President Lee Jae Myung and others was brought before a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday.

The bill was introduced by Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik over objections from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), setting the stage for a vote led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which holds a majority in the Assembly.

The PPP immediately launched a filibuster, but the DPK said it will end the tactic after 24 hours in accordance with relevant rules and put the bill to a vote Friday.

The bill, which was first introduced by the DPK in April, calls for an independent counsel to investigate allegations the prosecution under former President Yoon Suk Yeol fabricated evidence or induced false testimonies to build cases against then opposition leader Lee and others.

Under the bill's final version, the special prosecutor would be tasked with investigating the prosecution's indictments in 12 cases.

Six of them involve the president, with the charges stemming from his time as mayor of Seongnam or governor of Gyeonggi Province, when he was allegedly involved in corrupt development schemes, illegal remittances to North Korea, and the misuse of a government charge card.

All of the trials resulting from the charges were suspended following his election as president in June last year in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution, which exempts a sitting president from criminal prosecution except in cases of insurrection or treason.

The remaining six cases to be included in the special counsel's mandate mostly concern events that happened during the administration of former President Moon Jae-in of the DPK.

The PPP has fiercely opposed the bill over what it sees as a pretext to cancel all of Lee's indictments. In addition to launching a filibuster, the party has vowed to take its protest outside the National Assembly.

"The indictment cancellation special counsel bill is the worst anticonstitutional coup against parliament in constitutional history," PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said at a party meeting earlier in the day.

"It is the worst trial-meddling special counsel investigation that presses the judiciary to produce an acquittal after predetermining that cases that are mostly on trial were fabricated indictments," he said.

The DPK had originally sought to include a clause that allowed the special prosecutor to cancel indictments but removed it from the final version amid backlash from both within and outside the party.

Still, the PPP argued the findings of the special counsel could be used by the justice ministry or the prosecution to drop charges.

Should the bill pass, it will be the seventh time an independent counsel is appointed since Lee's inauguration. The previous investigations have among other things looked into Yoon's failed attempt to impose martial law, his wife's alleged corruption, and the unprecedented shortage of ballots during June's nationwide local elections.

The new special prosecutor would be chosen by Lee from among three candidates recommended by the DPK, the PPP and the minor Rebuilding Korea Party. The team would comprise up to 309 personnel and work for a maximum period of 200 days.

周四，韩国国会全体会议提交了一份关于涉嫌捏造起诉书的特别检察官法案。议长赵正植在国民力量党的反对下提出了该法案，国民力量党发起了阻挠议事；韩国民主党表示将在24小时后结束阻挠，并于周五进行投票表决。该法案将调查12起案件，其中包括6起涉及总统李在明的案件。最终版本删除了一项允许特别检察官撤销起诉书的条款。

李某涉嫌的六起案件均发生在他担任城南市市长或京畿道知事期间，其中包括有关发展计划、向朝鲜非法汇款和滥用政府信用卡等指控。

其余六起案件大多与前总统文在寅执政期间发生的事件有关。

根据宪法第 84 条，李光耀去年 6 月当选总统后，针对他的指控所引发的审判被暂停。

李将从民主党、人民进步党和重建韩国党推荐的三名候选人中选出特别检察官。

特别检察官团队最多可由 309 名人员组成，最多工作 200 天。

发布于2026年11月5日下午4:18（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月5日下午5:15（韩国标准时间）

周四，韩国国会议长赵正植（中）在首尔举行的国会全体会议上敲响议槌。（韩联社）

周四，一项要求对针对李在明总统和其他人捏造起诉书的指控进行特别检察官调查的法案提交给了国会全体会议。

该法案由国会议长赵正植提出，遭到主要反对党国民力量党（PPP）的反对，为由在国会中占据多数席位的执政党共同民主党（DPK）领导的投票铺平了道路。

人民党立即发起阻挠议事，但民主党表示将按照相关规定在24小时后结束阻挠议事，并于周五对该法案进行投票表决。

该法案最初由民主党于4月提出，要求设立独立检察官，调查前总统尹锡悦领导下的检方是否捏造证据或诱使证人作伪证，以对当时的反对党领袖李明博等人提起诉讼。

根据该法案的最终版本，特别检察官将负责调查检方在 12 起案件中提出的起诉。

其中六项指控与总统有关，指控源于他担任城南市市长或京畿道知事期间，据称他参与了腐败的发展计划、向朝鲜非法汇款以及滥用政府信用卡。

根据宪法第 84 条规定，除叛乱或叛国罪外，在任总统免于刑事起诉，在他去年 6 月当选总统后，所有因这些指控而进行的审判都被暂停。

特别检察官的任务范围内剩余的六起案件大多与朝鲜民主主义人民共和国前总统文在寅执政期间发生的事件有关。

人民进步党强烈反对这项法案，认为这是取消对李显龙所有指控的借口。除了发起冗长辩论外，该党还誓言要在国会大厦外举行抗议活动。

“取消起诉特别检察官法案是宪政史上针对议会最严重的违宪政变，”人民进步党党团领袖郑严实当天早些时候在党内会议上表示。

他说：“这是最恶劣的干预审判的特别检察官调查，它预先认定正在审理的案件大多是捏造的起诉书，然后向司法部门施压，要求他们做出无罪判决。”

民主党最初试图加入一项允许特别检察官撤销起诉的条款，但在党内外强烈反对后，最终从最终版本中删除了该条款。

不过，人民进步党认为，特别检察官的调查结果可能会被司法部或检方用来撤销指控。

如果该法案获得通过，这将是李明博就职以来第七次任命独立检察官。此前的调查包括尹锡悦试图实施戒严令失败、其妻子涉嫌腐败以及6月全国地方选举中前所未有的选票短缺等问题。

新的特别检察官将由李在镕从共同民主党、人民进步党和较小的重建韩国党推荐的三名候选人中选出。该团队最多将由309名人员组成，工作期限最长为200天。