Cases Involving Former President Moon Also Included: "Trying to Clear Everything at Once"

[Anchor]

A special counsel bill to investigate allegations of fabricated indictments by prosecutors under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is poised to pass the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. In addition to the cases involving President Lee Jae-myung that were initially known, personal cases involving former President Moon Jae-in have also been included in the scope of the investigation.

Han Sung-hee reports.

[Reporter]

The Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting, where the "bill on a special counsel probe into allegations of fabricated indictments" was tabled, was repeatedly disrupted from the start.

Although a clause interpreted as granting the special counsel the authority to withdraw indictments was removed, lawmakers of the People Power Party argued that the fact that the president appoints the special counsel is in itself a conflict of interest.

[Rep. Park Hyung-soo / People Power Party: "Did you all gather here today just to pass bills that fawn on and side with the president?"]

[Seo Young-kyo / National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair (Democratic Party): "I want to point out that repeatedly calling it an 'indictment withdrawal bill' is false information in itself."]

Amid strong pushback from the People Power Party, the special counsel bill is expected to soon pass the Legislation and Judiciary Committee led by the Democratic Party.

Cases that were not originally part of the investigation—including the bribery allegations surrounding the employment of former President Moon Jae-in's former son-in-law, the alleged manipulation of the economic feasibility of the Wolseong-1 nuclear reactor, the alleged leak of confidential information regarding THAAD, and the repatriation of North Korean fishermen in the East Sea—have been added.

[Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom / Democratic Party: "There was some criticism asking whether the investigation targeted only a specific individual, so we (included) all fabricated indictments, distorted investigations, targeted probes, and fine-tooth comb investigations across the board."]

This was an emphasis that the bill was not designed solely for President Lee, as the People Power Party had criticized, but the People Power Party criticized it as an attempt to shake off the judicial risks facing the Democratic Party's former and sitting presidents.

[Rep. Kim Tae-gyu / People Power Party: "It is like taking a proper bath to wipe everything completely clean in one sweep."]

The People Power Party announced it would counter with unlimited debate, or filibusters, not only against the special counsel bill but against all items scheduled to be brought before the plenary session.

However, with the Democratic Party capable of passing it unilaterally, the seventh special counsel probe under the Lee Jae-myung administration is virtually set to launch.

(Video by Oh Young-choon and Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Won Hyung-hee)

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