7th Special Counsel Bill Passes; Even Ruling Party Asks, "What if Nothing Comes Out?"

[Anchor]

A special counsel bill aimed at probing allegations of fabricated indictments has passed the National Assembly under the leadership of the ruling party. This marks the seventh special counsel initiated under the current administration, but amid strong pushback from the conservative opposition, voices within the broader ruling camp have also raised concerns over its efficacy and constitutionality.

Reporter Kim Jiuk reports.

[Reporter]

[Cho Jeong-sik / National Assembly Speaker: "I declare that the bill has passed."]

This afternoon (November 6), a special counsel bill to investigate allegations of fabricated investigations and indictments by state agencies, including the prosecution during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, passed the National Assembly's plenary session.

After the broader ruling bloc, including the Democratic Party, voted to end a filibuster after 24 hours, lawmakers of the People Power Party walked out of the chamber en masse, and the bill was passed led by the Democratic Party.

This is the seventh special counsel launched under the current administration.

The targets of the probe include cases involving President Lee Jae-myung, such as the Daejang-dong development project and SBW Group's remittance to North Korea, as well as cases from the Moon Jae-in administration, including alleged statistics manipulation and the killing of a South Korean fisheries official in the West Sea.

The special counsel team can consist of up to 309 members and conduct investigations for up to 200 days, including the preparation period.

The Democratic Party, the People Power Party, and the Rebuilding Korea Party will each recommend three candidates for the special counsel, and President Lee will appoint one among them.

Although the bill was passed amid controversy, concerns have also surfaced within the broader ruling coalition.

Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Sungho, a former Justice Minister, pointed out that there should have been more deliberation prior to processing the bill.

[Jeong Sungho / Democratic Party lawmaker (MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus'): "If we shake things up so drastically and nothing comes out, how many adverse side effects will there be?"]

Cho Kuk, head of the Rebuilding Korea Party's Innovation Policy Research Institute, who led judicial reform during the Moon Jae-in administration, argued that applying the pre-amendment Criminal Procedure Act to allow dispatched prosecutors to investigate could raise constitutional and legal issues.

The People Power Party held a rally of condemnation, criticizing the special counsel bill as "fabricated legislation."

[Jang Dong-hyeok / People Power Party Leader: "Trials must resume before Lee Jae-myung erases all of his crimes himself."]

The People Power Party plans to launch an outdoor struggle, including staging a condemnation rally tomorrow (November 7) in front of Gyeongbokgung Station in Seoul.

(Video by Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Jeon Mingyu)

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