South Korea's parliament approves independent investigation into prosecution cases

The law was passed after a filibuster

South Korea's parliament on Friday approved a bill for an independent investigation into allegations against the prosecution service, which is accused of fabricating evidence and soliciting false testimony to bring charges against President Lee Jae-myung and other political figures. The National Assembly voted 167 to one after the main opposition People Power Party's filibuster ended, Anadolu reports, citing the Yonhap agency. People Power Party lawmakers boycotted the vote, accusing the ruling Democratic Party of seeking to nullify the criminal cases against the president.

What will fall under the investigation

The bill, introduced in April, provides for a review of 12 prosecution cases opened under former President Yoon Suk-yeol; six of them concern Lee Jae-myung. The charges against him relate to his time as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province and involve suspicions of development corruption, illegal transfers to North Korea, and misuse of a government payment card. The trials against Lee have been suspended since he took office in June 2025 under constitutional provisions protecting sitting presidents from criminal prosecution — except in cases of insurrection or treason.

Opposition reaction and changes to the bill

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk said the government seeks to 'erase' the president's alleged crimes and demanded that the trials resume. Opposition lawmakers held a protest outside the parliament and announced plans to hold another rally in central Seoul on Saturday. For its part, the Democratic Party removed from the bill a controversial provision that would have allowed the special prosecutor to overturn indictments and which drew criticism. Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do said the revised version addressed the opposition's main objections.