Disruption from the Start over 'Distorted Indictment' Special Counsel Bill: PPP Lawmakers Walk Out After 10 Minutes

[Anchor]

Rival members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee clashed from the very beginning over a special counsel bill on distorted indictments. Following disruptions over points of order, lawmakers from the People Power Party walked out just 10 minutes into the meeting.

Reporter Kim Hye-min reports.

[Reporter]

At a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee this morning (Nov. 4), the People Power Party engaged in a dispute with Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo from the outset over speaking on points of order.

[Seo Young-kyo / Chair of Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Democratic Party): The budget is important. The budget is important.]

Protests from the People Power Party continued toward Chair Seo, who sought to proceed first with explanatory remarks proposing the budget bill.

[Park Hyung-soo / Lawmaker, People Power Party: You introduced it by slipping in the special counsel bill on indictment withdrawal alongside it. As the Democratic Party committee chair, doesn't everyone know that including the special counsel bill on indictment withdrawal would disrupt this meeting?]

Amid exchanges of raised voices and protests,

[Park Hyung-soo / Lawmaker, People Power Party: Madam Chair, I cannot understand this. I simply cannot understand it. How can you table bills like this?]

[Seo Young-kyo / Chair of Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Democratic Party): Both the ruling and opposition parties have already discussed it.]

[Park Hyung-soo / Lawmaker, People Power Party: Isn't this a special counsel bill to absolve President Lee Jae-myung of guilt? Who in the Republic of Korea would deny that?]

Ultimately, all People Power Party committee members walked out, and the meeting proceeded without them.

The special counsel bill on allegations of distorted indictments tabled today was introduced last April, and the Democratic Party plans to remove the controversial provision regarding indictment withdrawal.

The Democratic Party adopted the passage of the special counsel bill on allegations of distorted indictments as its official party platform at a general meeting of lawmakers yesterday (Nov. 3), and plans to push it through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee today before attempting to introduce it to the plenary session tomorrow (Nov. 5).

Calling it an "unconstitutional legislative attempt," the People Power Party warned of a filibuster, a lawful obstruction of proceedings, against all tabled bills.

(Camera: Oh Young-choon and Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing: Won Hyung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.