Korea's DP passes motion to impeach two prosecutors

National Assembly speaker Kim Jin-pyo announces the results of the impeachment motion against two prosecutors at the National Assembly on Friday. [YONHAP]

The Democratic Party (DP) on Friday passed a motion to impeach two prosecutors, Son Jun-sung and Lee Jung-seop, one of whom had led the investigation against DP Chief Lee Jae-myung.

The People Power Party did not take part in the vote.

The impeachment motion was passed with 175 and 174 out of 180 legislators voting in favor.

The DP has argued that the motion was necessary, citing multiple allegations of misconduct by the prosecutors.

The DP accused Son of having meddled in the last parliamentary election in 2020, by providing information on the lawsuit that was written against prominent DP figures including Rhyu Si-min, head of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, Choi Kang-wook, a former DP lawmaker, and Hwang Hee-seok, former Justice Ministry’s human rights commissioner.

The lawsuit also served as defamation against President Yoon, Suk Yeol, who was the nation’s chief prosecutor at the time, his wife Kim Keon Hee and Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who was also a prosecutor at the time.

Son reportedly gave information about the lawsuit to the DP’s opposition party lawmaker at the time, Kim Woong, currently a People Power Party lawmaker, to make the lawsuit public in order to sway voters.

Son is currently on trial over the accusation.

Prosecutor Lee is being accused by the DP for improper acts including looking into the private criminal records of golf club employees, as requested by the owner, who is also Lee’s brother in law. Lee is also accused of getting preferential favors during Covid-19 restrictions from a high-ranking official of one of Korea’s leading conglomerates.

The PPP accused the DP of passing the impeachment motions not only to attack President Yoon but also to protect its party leader, Lee Jae-myung.

Prosecutor Lee, until recently, had been leading the investigation against the DP leader, which includes allegations of illegally wiring money to North Korea through an underwear company, illegal political contribution and using Gyeonggi government taxes to purchase personal items, including shampoo and sushi takeout, along with his wife Kim Hye-kyung.

The PPP also accused the DP of attacking Prosecutor Song, who had been a close aide to President Yoon Suk Yeol when he was the head of the prosecutors’ office.

On Thursday, Kim Yong, a close aide to DP leader Lee, was arrested at court after being sentenced to five years for bribery and operating an illegal political slush fund regarding a development project in Daejang-dong, Gyeonggi.

DP leader Lee is also on trial regarding the same development project, which was conducted when he was the mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi.

The DP was also planning to impeach the head of Korea Communication Commission Lee Dong-kwan on the Friday. However, Lee resigned earlier in the day, which President Yoon had accepted.

Lee was the second cabinet member to resign before the DP filed an impeachment motion.

The DP passed an impeachment motion against Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, which was rejected by the constitutional court five month after.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]