People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik on Tuesday accused the Democratic Party of Korea of using a second omnibus special counsel investigation to suppress the opposition, after the Democratic Party introduced a bill to extend the probe's duration. The second omnibus special counsel — which targets allegations left unresolved after three earlier special prosecutor investigations into insurrection, Kim Keon Hee and the death of Marine Cpl. Chae — "openly summoned opposition politicians just before its mandate was set to expire," Jeong said at a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly. "That was blatant lobbying," he said, adding that it "nakedly exposed the true nature of the omnibus special counsel: suppressing the opposition."
Jeong said the proliferation of special counsel probes had left prosecutors stretched thin, causing a backlog of unresolved cases. "Innocent citizens are suffering because of special counsel investigations born of the Democratic Party's political vendetta," he said.
He added that the special counsel system was originally created to ensure independent and impartial investigations free from political influence. "But the omnibus special counsel has been reduced to a judicial errand service for the Democratic Party's political ambitions," he said.
Party Secretary-General Jeong Hee-yong said South Korea had "literally become a special counsel republic," arguing that the second omnibus special counsel had started amid controversy as a recycled, election-driven probe and was now proving to be an ineffective exercise with no practical results.
Jeong Hee-yong also took aim at the Democratic Party's stance on a separate proposed special counsel focused on the National Election Commission, which he said was aimed at restoring citizens' voting rights. "They are digging in their heels over the right to recommend the special prosecutor for that one," he said. "Isn't this ultimately proof that they only want to pursue special counsel investigations that serve their own political retaliation?"
He said the PPP would counter what he called the Democratic Party's "runaway legislating" through open public debates. "We will make the Democratic Party's true intentions fully known to the people — their push to ram through bills without adequate scrutiny of investigative results, and the reality of their legislative overreach," he said.
mp1256@heraldcorp.com
