(3rd LD) Special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments introduced at plenary session

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(ATTN: ADDS comments from presidential aide in paras 14-15)

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (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 (DP), which holds a majority in the Assembly.

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

A plenary session of the National Assembly is held at the Assembly building in Seoul on Nov. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)

The bill, which was first introduced by the DP 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 DP.

Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party display signs denouncing the ruling Democratic Party's push for a special counsel probe into allegations of fabricated indictments in the main hall of the National Assembly building in Seoul on Nov. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)

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 DP 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.

Hong Ihk-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, stressed that the bill is not intended to shield Lee but to investigate the prosecution's alleged abuse of power.

"The purpose of the bill is to have a special counsel investigate allegations that prosecutors abused their authority and conducted politically motivated probes under the previous administration, given the difficulty prosecutors face in investigating their own colleagues," he said during a parliamentary budget committee meeting.

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 DP, 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.

Rep. Park Hyeung-soo (L) of the People Power Party launches a filibuster after a special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments was introduced during a plenary session of the National Assembly at the Assembly building in Seoul on Nov. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)

hague@yna.co.kr (END)

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(3rd LD) Special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments introduced at plenary session

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（注：第 14-15 段新增总统助理的评论）

首尔，11月5日（韩联社）——周四，一项要求对针对总统李在明等人的捏造起诉书的指控进行特别检察官调查的法案提交给国会全体会议。

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，为由执政的共同民主党（DP）领导的投票铺平了道路，共同民主党在国会议事中占据多数席位。

人民进步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，并于周五将该法案付诸表决。

2026年11月5日，韩国国会全体会议在首尔国会大厦举行。（韩联社）

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

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涉及前总统文在寅（民主党）执政期间发生的事件。

2026年11月5日，在首尔国会大厦大厅，主要反对党国民力量党的议员们展示标语，谴责执政党共同民主党推动对捏造起诉书的指控进行特别检察官调查。（韩联社）

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，但由于党内外的强烈反对，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。

总统府政治事务高级秘书洪旭杓强调，该法案并非旨在包庇李光耀，而是为了调查检方涉嫌滥用职权的行为。

“鉴于检察官在调查自己的同事时面临的困难，该法案的目的是让特别检察官调查有关检察官在前任政府时期滥用职权和进行政治动机调查的指控，”他在议会预算委员会会议上说。

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。

新任特别检察官将由李在镕从民主党、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。

2026年11月5日，在首尔国会大厦举行的国会全体会议上，国民力量党议员朴亨洙（左）在一项关于捏造起诉书的特别检察官法案被提出后，发起了一场冗长辩论。（韩联社）

hague@yna.co.kr (完)

小组委员会通过了针对李某涉嫌捏造起诉书的特别检察官法案

执政党本周将力推一项针对涉嫌捏造起诉书的特别检察官法案的通过。

（第三项立法议案）关于涉嫌捏造起诉书的特别检察官法案已在全体会议上提出。