Candidates from the People Power Party running for metropolitan and provincial governor posts in the June 3 local elections demanded on May 5 that the Democratic Party withdraw what it calls a special counsel bill to investigate alleged “fabricated indictments.” They said the measure amounts to an unconstitutional attempt to cancel prosecutions to benefit President Lee Jae-myung and would undermine the constitutional order and the rule of law.
Oh Se-hoon, the PPP’s Seoul mayoral candidate, and nine other PPP candidates held an emergency news conference in front of Bosingak in central Seoul and released a resolution titled “PPP metropolitan and provincial candidates’ statement to stop Lee Jae-myung’s judicial coup attempt.”
Also attending were Incheon mayoral candidate Yoo Jeong-bok, Sejong mayoral candidate Choi Min-ho, Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Yang Hyang-ja, Gangwon gubernatorial candidate Kim Jin-tae, North Chungcheong gubernatorial candidate Kim Young-hwan and North Jeolla gubernatorial candidate Yang Jeong-mu. PPP candidates Lee Jeong-hyeon, running for the Jeonnam-Gwangju integrated mayor post, and Moon Seong-yu, running for Jeju governor, did not attend but joined the statement.
The candidates said the bill is “a clear attempt at a judicial coup” that would shake the national justice system “for the sake of one person,” Lee, and warned it would face “harsh public judgment.” They said they would not stand by and pledged to fight “to the end” alongside political parties, civic groups and citizens who share the goal of defending the constitutional order.
They urged the Democratic Party to withdraw the bill and called on Lee to pledge that he will not seek cancellation of prosecutions during his term. “The Democratic Party must immediately halt the push for a special counsel bill aimed at an unconstitutional cancellation of prosecutions for Lee Jae-myung’s self-exoneration, and it must withdraw the bill already introduced,” they said. They also called on Lee to “clearly state before the public” that there will be no cancellation of prosecutions related to his own allegations during his term and that he will stand trial according to law and principle.
They also demanded that ruling-party candidates for metropolitan and provincial posts “immediately disclose to the public” whether they support or oppose the special counsel bill.
Before the statement was read, Yang Jeong-mu said, “You can’t cover the sky with your hand,” adding that no one in South Korea can be above the law and that everyone is equal before it. Kim Jin-tae, who led the news conference, cited what he called an old principle of Roman law — that no one can be a judge in their own case — and said denying that principle would amount to a collapse of the rule of law and “insurrection.”
The PPP candidates said they plan to rally public opinion to block the bill, including through a nationwide online petition. Oh said the party is working to flesh out ways to cooperate with opposition forces and would announce details once they are set.
Oh, Yoo and Yang Hyang-ja met the previous day at the National Assembly with New Reform Party candidates Kim Jeong-cheol, running for Seoul mayor, and Cho Eung-cheon, running for Gyeonggi governor, and agreed to work together to stop the bill.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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