SEOUL — Tensions flared in South Korea's parliament on Wednesday during a contentious hearing concerning the impeachment of a prosecutor linked to an alleged stock manipulation scheme involving First Lady Kim Keon Hee.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) exchanged sharp criticisms over the proposed impeachment of Kim Young-cheol, a senior prosecutor from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors Office. The prosecutor, along with other key witnesses including the First Lady, was notably absent from the proceedings. The PPP accused the DP of leveraging the hearing for political advantage, questioning the necessity of impeachment when other disciplinary measures are available. "Is there no other way to punish the prosecutor besides impeachment? We have what we call the Act on Discipline of Prosecutors that allows various disciplinary actions against a prosecutor, including dismissal," stated PPP Rep. Song Seog-jun.
DP Rep. Chung Jung-rae, chair of the committee, defended the hearing as a standard procedural response under the National Assembly Act, and announced plans to file a complaint against all absent witnesses. Out of twenty summoned individuals, only Lim Eun-jeong, a senior prosecutor at the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office, attended.
The impeachment discussions also extend to three other prosecutors involved in investigations of corruption allegations against former DP leader Lee Jae-myung, encompassing a range of charges from illegal remittances to North Korea to bribery during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam.
Amid these political maneuvers, the hearing also touched on the recent controversial death of a senior official from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, an event that has further intensified partisan conflicts. The PPP demanded a public apology following derogatory comments made by DP Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui, who labeled the First Lady a "murderer" in relation to the official's death, implicating President Yoon Suk Yeol as well.