Ruling, opposition parties clash over Lee's 'impeachment grounds' remark

National audit nears end amid intensifying political exchanges

Han Byung-do tells PPP to reflect on Yoon-era failings first

Jeong Jeom-sik says Lee focused on 'political jailbreak' across 5 trials

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok (front row) arrives at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Friday. [Yonhap]

As the National Assembly's national audit of the Lee Jae Myung government's second year nears its end, political clashes are intensifying over President Lee's remarks about so-called "impeachment grounds" and the controversy surrounding Serious Crimes Investigation Agency chief Kim Ji-yong's attendance at Cabinet meetings.

Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do, speaking at a supreme council meeting Friday, criticized the People Power Party for raising objections to investigative agency heads attending Cabinet meetings and invoking the principles of independence, neutrality and fairness. "That is simply a comedy," Han said, urging the PPP to first reflect on its own failings in undermining the independence and neutrality of investigative agencies.

"Does attending a Cabinet meeting compromise investigative independence, while staying away preserves it? What kind of bizarre logic is that?" Han said. He added, "Have they already forgotten how, under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, prosecutors and police were reduced to servants of power?"

Supreme council member Park Seon-won also said Cabinet meetings are held to discuss the organization, budget, personnel and operations of investigative agencies, and that directing or discussing any specific investigation there is simply not possible. "Discussing the operations of investigative agencies and intervening in individual cases are entirely different matters, and the legal basis for this is clear — including Article 12, Paragraph 4 of the Government Organization Act," Park said.

Park said it was a distortion and a leap in logic to characterize the legally permitted attendance of investigative agency heads at Cabinet meetings as unlawful interference in investigations. "If not attending Cabinet meetings is what guarantees investigative independence, then how politically neutral were the prosecutors under the Yoon administration, who did not attend Cabinet meetings?" he said.

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik attends a national audit strategy meeting at the National Assembly on Friday. [Yonhap]

The PPP pushed back by citing President Lee's post on X, formerly Twitter, in which he wrote that "relinquishing command and oversight of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency would constitute grounds for impeachment." PPP members countered, "Does that mean every other president in history should have been impeached?"

PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik, speaking at a national audit strategy meeting Friday, said forcing the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency chief to attend Cabinet meetings amounted to an open and routine attempt to pressure a state institution through the Cabinet. "This kind of conduct is itself what constitutes grounds for impeachment," Jeong said.

Jeong said the president can receive reports on state affairs through the relevant minister. "Even though lawful means of command and oversight exist, the purpose of forcibly seating the head of an investigative agency is to lay the groundwork for directly or indirectly influencing the president's own trials," he said.

Jeong added that President Lee had, for more than 500 days since taking office, "consistently devoted himself to a 'political jailbreak' aimed at eliminating his five ongoing trials." He warned that "the tower of wrongdoing built to cover up his own crimes will ultimately collapse on him."

PPP Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok wrote on Facebook on Thursday that "the authority to command and oversee administrative agencies and the political neutrality of investigative agencies are entirely separate issues — and the attendance of investigative agency heads at Cabinet meetings is an even more distinct matter." Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also wrote on Facebook that "if a president directs investigations — whether through the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, the prosecution service or the police — to block probes into his own crimes or attack political rivals, that constitutes grounds for impeachment."

The ruling and opposition parties also traded barbs over the Constitutional Court's partial acceptance of an injunction request filed by People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk regarding a recusal vote, as well as the failure to secure the National Assembly's steering committee adoption of witnesses including Cheong Wa Dae First Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji. The Democratic Party filed a complaint Thursday with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Jang Dong-hyeok on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, alleging that Jang had spread false information to maliciously slander President Lee.

bigroot@heraldcorp.com
raining@heraldcorp.com