[Edaily Reporter Sung Gha-hyun ] Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon criticized the “Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Indictments”—which passed the National Assembly plenary session under the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea—as a “privileges law” designed to grant those in power the privilege of evading ongoing trials.

On the 7th, Rep. Han posted on his social media, stating, “The Special Prosecutor Act designed to dismiss the charges against Lee Jae-myung is not a law intended to punish crime.”

He added, “Since the founding of the Republic of Korea, no citizen has ever possessed such a privilege,” and stated, “With this ‘privilege law,’ a ‘privileged class of one’ has officially emerged in the Republic of Korea, superior to all other citizens.”

He later posted again, elaborating, “Article 11, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution states that the institution of special social classes is not recognized, and such classes may not be established in any form.”

Bong Geon-woo, the Democratic Party’s full-time deputy spokesperson, countered in a written briefing that day, calling it “sophistry” and asking, “Wasn’t it the Minister of Justice who enjoyed this privilege by quashing the investigation into allegations of his daughter’s falsified credentials?”

He further argued, “The reality that the prosecution, which had been calling for investigations without sacred cows, came to a halt only when it came to the family of the Minister of Justice—the highest authority—is itself an absolute privilege and a destruction of the rule of law,” adding, “One lawmaker is also facing criticism for evading a party audit regarding the so-called ‘party member bulletin board incident’ while serving as party leader.”

He continued, “Having abused his power to enjoy all manner of privileges—such as quashing investigations and audits—does he really have the nerve to talk about others’ privileges now?” He added, “This looks like nothing more than an overreaction born of a guilty conscience. Stop this political agitation immediately.”

Earlier, on the 6th, the Democratic Party ended a filibuster—an unlimited debate that lasted about 24 hours—via a vote, following a request from the People Power Party. Subsequently, it passed the “Bill on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor to Investigate Allegations of Fabricated Investigations and Indictments by the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration’s Prosecutor General’s Office, National Intelligence Service, and Board of Audit and Inspection.”

The special counsel investigation into fabricated indictments will be the largest and longest in history in terms of both scale and duration. The plan calls for a team of 309 members, including △8 deputy special counsel △20 seconded prosecutors △70 special investigators. The investigation period will last up to 200 days, including a 20-day preparation period, a 90-day basic investigation period, and any extensions. The size of the special counsel team rivals that of the Jo Eun-seok special counsel team on insurrection charges (317 members), which was the largest in history when it investigated former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s December 3 emergency martial law case.

The Special Prosecutor’s investigation into fabricated indictments will focus on cases involving President Lee and former President Moon, including: △Ssangbangwool’s remittances to North Korea; △allegations of breach of trust and the acceptance of bribes from private developers related to the Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and Wirye New Town development projects; △ bribery related to sponsorship of Seongnam FC; △ allegations of corporate credit card misuse and breach of trust during President Lee’s tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province; △ the shooting of a government official in the West Sea and the repatriation of North Korean defector fishermen; △ bribery related to the employment of former President Moon’s son-in-law; △ the leak of classified information regarding THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense); and △ allegations of manipulated economic feasibility assessments for Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1—totaling 12 cases.