On November 7 last year, President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed the nation. In light of the unprecedented situation of arresting and prosecuting a sitting president for the first time in constitutional history, the ruling and opposition parties pointed fingers at each other for responsibility.
Shin Dong-wook, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement on the 27th, criticizing the ongoing chaos in the criminal justice system due to the arrest, investigation, and indictment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. He attributed the chaos to the so-called “fake prosecutorial reform” under former President Moon Jae-in and the Democratic Party and called for their apology.
He claimed that the High-ranking Officials Criminal Investigation Agency, which doesn’t have the authority to investigate insurrection charges, carried out illegal arrests, and controversies such as “judge shopping” persisted due to the issuance of arrest warrants by the Western District Court. He argued that the illegal actions by the agency have strengthened the call for the court to dismiss the charges.
In a further statement, Shin criticized the High-ranking Officials Criminal Investigation Agency for proceeding with the indictment without direct investigation of President Yoon, acting like a subcontractor of the prosecution, and noted that the prosecution’s request to extend the detention period was denied twice.
Conversely, the Democratic Party criticized the People Power Party, accusing them of contradicting their stance by denying President Yoon’s indictment while preparing for an early presidential election. Cho Seung-rae, the chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated that reports suggest the People Power Party is preparing for an early election, with their strategy limited to criticizing Lee Jae-myung.
Cho condemned the People Power Party for wasting national resources by focusing on Lee Jae-myung throughout their term and questioned their integrity in continuing political offensives. He criticized the party’s history of negating the legal system, such as the High-ranking Officials Criminal Investigation Agency, the prosecution, the courts, and the Constitutional Court.
He further censured their lack of reflection despite having produced a president involved in insurrection, showing arrogance by accepting court decisions that favored them but rejecting those that did not. He called for a special investigation to address their delusions and denial of reality, urging Acting President Choi Sang-mok to proclaim the special law for investigating insurrection.