SEOUL– Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo offered to resign Friday for the second time in less than a week after the ruling and main opposition parties reached a deal over contentious legislation aimed at stripping the prosecution of its investigative powers.
Kim said he plans to submit his resignation to “take full responsibility for the current situation” soon after the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) both agreed to accept the compromise deal brokered by National Assembly Park Byeong-seug earlier in the day.
The DP has been pushing for the set of amendments to the Prosecutors’ Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act as part of efforts to reform the prosecution that has been accused of abusing its power for political and other purposes.
Kim first tendered his resignation on Sunday in protest of the proposed legislation but withdrew it the next day after meeting with President Moon Jae-in, who urged him to serve out his term and fulfill his role.
The prosecutor general has fiercely campaigned against the DP’s legislative push, describing the bill as a “clear violation of the Constitution.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency