Democratic Party of Korea targets top court with retaliatory bills over Lee Jae-myung verdict
The Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday introduced a series of bills aimed at acquitting Lee Jae-myung, the party's presidential candidate, and taking retaliation against the top court for overturning an earlier ruling that cleared him of violating election law.
The Democratic Party, using its National Assembly majority, convened a meeting of the judiciary committee and unilaterally passed a bill revising the Election Act to remove the provision that Lee had earlier been found guilty of.
The revised bill, which will be put to a vote at the next plenary meeting of the Assembly, would acquit Lee in the upcoming High Court ruling on his election law violation case. The Democratic Party came up with the bill the day after the Supreme Court's unfavorable ruling on May 1.
The Democratic Party also tabled a bill for opening a special counsel investigation of Cho Hee-de, the Supreme Court's chief justice, accusing him of interfering in the presidential election by issuing a ruling finding Lee guilty during the election season.
Another bill proposed by the Democratic Party the same day seeks to physically lower the seats of judges, which are usually elevated on a higher platform in the courtroom. Rep. Kim Yong-min, who authored the bill, said the bill is intended to ensure that all participants in a courtroom are on equal ground.
While the Democratic Party summoned Cho and the rest of the Supreme Court justices to the Assembly hearing Wednesday, the top court declined.
The People Power Party protested the Democratic Party-led bills as an "abuse of legislative authority aimed at batting Lee's legal risks away."
Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, the People Power Party deputy chair of the Assembly judiciary committee, said the Democratic Party was "arbitrarily changing laws and threatening the judiciary's independence to suit Lee's interests."
Lee, who faces five ongoing criminal trials, if elected could become the first sitting South Korean president on trial for a criminal offense. Last week, the Democratic Party advanced a bill for putting criminal trials on hold once a defendant is elected president. The bill awaits a final vote at the next plenary meeting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
More picks made for Lee's presidential office
President Lee Jae-myung on Friday continued to round out his policy team with more appointments of aides. Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to Lee, told a briefing that former vice finance minister, Kim Yong-beom, has been tapped to serve as presidential chief of staff for policy. Kang said Ha Joon-kyung, a professor of economics at Hanyang University, was appointed as senior presidential secretary for economic growth, and Moon Jin-young, a professor of social welfare studies at Sogang University, as senior presidential secretary for social affairs. Kang said the presidential secretary for gender equality, a post eliminated under the last administration, would be reinstated. A new post of a presidential secretary in charge of maritime trade affairs would be instituted, Kang added. Expanding the country's trade opportunities with the opening up of Arctic routes had been one of Lee's key pledges as candidate.
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Mammoth probes to look into Yoon's alleged treason, insurrection
Special teams size of a district attorney's office to be formed to investigate ex-president Multiple probe teams together comprising some 120 prosecutors are set to look into allegations surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol, including one that he committed treason by trying to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday passed a series of bills seeking to open three separate special counsel investigations. One will investigate whether Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration would constitute insurrection, for which a criminal trial is already underway, as well as treason. The Democratic Party claims that Yoon plotted to provoke a military action from North Korea to justify declaring martial law with his hawkish policies such as resumption of anti-Pyongyang broadcasts near inter-Korean borders in June 2024. The Democratic Party is also pushing an as-yet unsubstatiated claim that Yoon sent unmanned aerial vehicles into Pyongyang in October 2024. Yoon allegedly attempting to instigate an armed conflict with North Korea in the run-up to his martial law decree was "treason," the Democratic Party claimed, on top of it being a "rebellion against the Constitution, which is to say, insurrection." Another special counsel investigation would revisit the death of a Marine in July 2023. Cpl. Chae Su-geun, 20, died when he was swept away in moving water during a search and rescue operation to locate flood victims in a rain-swollen river in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province. The Democratic Party claims that the Yoon presidential office tried to hinder a preliminary investigation into if there had been negligence and other wrongdoing at the top in Chae's death. Yoon's wife Kim Keon Hee is also set to face a special counsel investigation into allegations that she interfered in the People Power Party's nomination of candidates for a National Assembly seat. The Democratic Party voted without the People Power Party to pass the special counsel bills Thursday. The Democratic Party has the majority in the Assembly, holding 167 out of 300 seats.
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Hyundai Rotem nears W8.5tr K2 tank deal with Poland
Hyundai Rotem, the railway and defense contractor under Hyundai Motor Group, is expected to seal a second K2 tank export deal with Poland worth 8.5 trillion won ($6.3 billion) as early as this month, marking a major follow-up to the initial contract after a three-year gap. According to media reports Friday, Hyundai Rotem has completed major discussions with PGZ, Poland's state-owned defense company, covering key aspects, including the number of tanks, and is now working out detailed arrangements necessary for the final signing. Unlike the first agreement, which specified the initial delivery of 180 tanks out of 1,000 units, the second contract will detail ways for local production and technology transfer in Poland, as well as the additional number of tanks. To bolster its credibility and expedite the negotiations for the second deal, the company reportedly showed its commitment by delivering nine K2 Black Panther tanks in addition to the 12 units in March. This brings the total delivered to 133 units, leaving 47 tanks remaining to fulfill the first contract. On Thursday, the Polish Army's 15th Gizycko Mechanized Brigade announced on Facebook, 'The K2GF Black Panther tanks are now with us,' sharing photos of 9 tanks unloaded at the port of Swinoujscie. The brigade emphasized that these tanks marked another step forward in the modernization of the Polish military. Although no exact timeline has been given for finalizing the second agreement, industry watchers observe that the process is running behind earlier market expectations, which had targeted the fourth quarter of 2024. It was primarily due to extensive negotiations with the Polish government on local manufacturing and technology transfer, along with South Korea's political tensions sparked by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. 'In the case of K2PL models, which will be produced in Poland, there are a number of items on the table, ranging from the procurement of tank components, cost management, maintenance and repair procedures to the scope of technology transfer,' said an industry source on condition of anonymity. Despite the overdue deal, industry insiders indicate that newly elected President Lee Jae-myung's drive for the nation's defense industry will accelerate negotiations with the Polish government. 'It is too soon to tell the impact of the new President,' the source added. 'However, as we now have the defense control tower (which had been inactive for seven months), our hope is to see bilateral talks between Korea and Poland on bolstering defense ties.' During his presidential campaign, Lee highlighted defense as a key strategic industry for propelling national growth, committing to specific support measures to become a 'top four global defense power' after the US, Russia and France.
