People Power Party Opposes Ruling Party’s Special Counsel Bill on Dropping Charges, to Skip Constitutional Vote

The People Power Party on May 6 adopted a resolution opposing the Democratic Party’s proposed “special counsel bill on dropping charges.”

After a party lawmakers’ meeting at the National Assembly, floor deputy chief whip Yoo Sang-beom told reporters, “At today’s meeting, People Power Party lawmakers resolved to oppose the unconstitutional and illegal special counsel aimed at dropping charges.”

The resolution calls for: opposition to the Democratic Party’s bill; opposition to “all unconstitutional and illegal attempts” to drop charges against President Lee Jae-myung; joint action with political parties, civic groups and citizens who oppose dropping charges against the president; urging the judiciary to immediately resume the president’s five trials; and a pledge to fight what it called the ruling party’s effort to turn South Korea into a “republic of criminals.”

The party also said it plans to boycott a National Assembly vote on a constitutional amendment scheduled for May 7. Yoo said most lawmakers believed it would be inappropriate to take part because the Democratic Party was pushing the process unilaterally to align with local elections, without sufficient discussion and deliberation.

Responding to criticism that the party did not gather enough views, Yoo said the party line was not formed all at once and that there had been “sufficient discussion” among many lawmakers over a considerable period.