'Born of backroom factional deals within ruling party'

'Those behind this parliamentary coup will face legal consequences'

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik chant slogans denouncing the Democratic Party at a party assembly meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik chant slogans denouncing the Democratic Party at a party assembly meeting at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]

People Power Party Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik on Thursday called a contentious special prosecutor act — over which the ruling and opposition parties are locked in fierce confrontation ahead of a plenary session vote — "the worst anti-constitutional parliamentary coup in constitutional history."

Speaking at a party assembly meeting at the National Assembly that morning, Jeong said the Lee Jae Myung administration had "finally crossed the last line it should never have crossed," and doubled down on his criticism of the legislation. "The special prosecutor act on withdrawal of indictments that the Democratic Party passed through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Wednesday is the worst anti-constitutional parliamentary coup — a special prosecutor coup — in constitutional history," he said.

Jeong then said the act represented "the worst abuse of power and privilege, mobilizing the National Assembly's legislative authority to erase the trials of the president himself and his closest aide Kim Yong." He added that it was "the worst trial-interference special prosecutor act, one that presupposes a conclusion of fabricated indictment in cases where most trials are currently ongoing and pressures the judiciary to hand down not-guilty verdicts."

Jeong also called the act "the worst history-distorting special prosecutor act, born of ugly backroom factional deals within the ruling party."

He said the act's scope of investigation covered not only cases involving President Lee Jae Myung but also "a large number of anti-humanitarian and anti-constitutional criminal acts from the Moon Jae-in administration, including the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors and bribery allegations against former President Moon Jae-in." Concluding that these cases involved fabricated indictments and seeking to distort historical truth through the power of a special prosecutor, he said, "is nothing short of an outrageous attempt at historical distortion and fabrication."

Jeong said the act amounted to "a mutual exchange of pardons — wiping out the anti-constitutional crimes of the Moon Jae-in administration in exchange for the cooperation of pro-Moon factions within the party on dropping charges against President Lee Jae Myung." He predicted that "no matter what happens, President Lee Jae Myung will without fail face all five of his ongoing trials."

Jeong doubled down, saying Lee would also "face legal consequences for the parliamentary coup carried out to cancel those trials," adding: "We will make it happen. We must make it happen."

Jeong urged the party to "mobilize every available means" to stop the legislation. "We must fight this anti-constitutional parliamentary coup by any and all means within the bounds of the law — not only in the National Assembly but in the streets, on the ground, and in communities, alongside outraged citizens, against that lawless criminal syndicate of dictatorial power," he said.


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