[The Public=Choi Eol] On March 25, the Democratic Party of Korea nominated a staggering 102 witnesses—predominantly prosecutors—to the Special Committee to Investigate Allegations of Political Prosecution and Fabricated Indictments under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The parliamentary probe committee is expected to adopt the Democrats' witness-summons request today.
According to an exclusive in the Chosun Ilbo, the special committee held its second meeting and placed the witness-summons request on the agenda. The Democratic Party largely nominated prosecutors who led investigations related to President Lee Jae-myung. The ruling People Power Party criticized the move, accusing the Democrats of summoning prosecutors to secure dropped charges in seven ongoing trials, including the Daejang-dong case.
The Democratic Party says it seeks to expose alleged fabricated indictments in the Daejang-dong, Wirye and Kim Yong cases, as well as the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case. It nominated Acting Prosecutor General Koo Ja-hyun and Anti-Corruption Department head Joo Min-chul as witnesses. The party also requested that members of the Daejang-dong investigation team—prosecutors Eom Hee-jun, Kang Baek-shin, Kim Se-hyun, Lee Ju-yong and Kim Ik-soo—appear as witnesses.
Notably, the party also requested Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who investigated the Ssangbangwool illegal remittances to North Korea, as a witness. Park has publicly appeared on the left-leaning YouTube channel Maebul Show and has actively rebutted allegations raised by the ruling camp.
The Democratic Party said it will challenge the appropriateness of Park's broadcast appearances and plans to call Kim Seong-dong, head of the inspection division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, as a witness.
The party also requested that National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok, the NIS operative who managed related personnel at the time, and the auditor on duty then appear as witnesses, saying it wants to investigate the Ssangbangwool remittance case and the West Sea shooting incident.
The probe led by the Democratic Party—the Investigation into Allegations of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration's Political Prosecution and Fabricated Indictments—appears likely to face legal and constitutional challenges.
Legal experts note that Article 8 of the Act on Audit and Investigation of State Affairs states, "A parliamentary probe must not be conducted for the purpose of intervening in the prosecution of ongoing trials or investigations." Despite this, the Democratic Party is pushing a probe it says targets charges in seven ongoing cases involving President Lee Jae-myung, including the Daejang-dong case.
Some observers say the probe could instead benefit the People Power Party. Political commentator and former Monthly Chosun editor Choi Byung-mook said, "This probe could actually create an opportunity for the People Power Party," adding that while the People Power Party trails in many investigations, public opinion strongly favors continuing President Lee's trials.
He added, "I doubt a parliamentary probe will prove that prosecutors fabricated indictments. Centrist voters are likely to view this probe as a build-up to dropping charges against Lee Jae-myung."
"If prosecutors really fabricated charges, there would be no reason to stop the trials," he continued. "But if investigators under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration show even signs of fabricating indictments, the judiciary will move decisively to acquit."
