Han Dong-hoon backtracks on Corporal Chae Special Prosecutor Bill, awaits CIO investigation

Representative Han Dong-hoon of the People’s Power Party (PPP) did not introduce a bill by August 26th, the deadline set by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for a third-party recommendation for a special prosecutor to investigate the case of Marine Corporal Chae.

“I will not follow the Democratic Party’s ploy to create divisions within the ruling party,” Han said. He also backtracked from their earlier promise to introduce the bill regardless of the outcome of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) investigation. The DPK criticized, “Is the public promise (to introduce a special prosecutor bill) just a joke?”

“The DPK has thrown out a much riskier (special prosecutor) bill, and they are giving me 10 days to introduce it, which is a ploy that will divide the ruling party, and I'm not going to follow it,” Han said at a press conference at the National Assembly. On the 16th, Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae agreed to Han Dong-hoon’s proposal for a third-party recommendation but demanded that the bill be introduced within 10 days. However, Han ultimately rejected this demand.

“The idea that it’s not too late to decide on a special prosecutor based on the outcome of the CIO investigation is not completely wrong,” Han said, noting that the CIO is conducting aggressive investigations, including leaking President Yoon’s phone call details to the media.

“It’s logically possible to call for a special prosecutor if the investigation is not sufficient,” Han said, adding, “Nevertheless, some in the party argue that a special prosecutor bill is necessary.” On June 23, Han met with reporters after declaring his candidacy for the leadership of the PPP and said, “I will not make the conclusion of the CIO’s investigation a condition for proposing a special prosecutor bill,” adding, “If I make it conditional, won't the people say that nothing has really changed?” In contrast to these remarks, he noted that there is considerable sentiment within the party that the outcome of the investigation should be waited for. There is an interpretation that he was leaning towards accepting the party opinion.

“We’re going through the process of narrowing the differences (within the party). It’s not something to pressure the ruling party about,” he said, adding, “If they (the Democrats) are in such a hurry, they can propose a new bill for a special prosecutor related to the Chief Justice’s recommendation, removing the toxic clause, and process it.”

Han’s aides also attacked the DPK’s intention to nail down the deadline, calling it “an intention to proceed with high-level talks without holding representative talks” (Jang Dong-hyuk, a Supreme Council member of the PPP) and “a violation of political norms” (Shin Ji-ho, Vice President of Strategic Planning).

“If I become the leader of the party, I will introduce a special prosecutor bill that can uncover the truth,” Han promised in June when he ran for the leadership of the PPP, saying he would introduce his own special prosecutor bill with a third-party recommendation. More than a month after he was elected party leader on July 23, he has yet to introduce a special prosecutor bill or initiate a discussion on it within the party.

Democrats have criticized Han for breaking his promise. It is expected that the DPK will press ahead with a special prosecutor bill in the future or consider introducing a third-party recommended bill by the opposition.

“It was not the DPK that promised the public to introduce a special prosecutor bill, but Representative Han himself,” Cho Seung-rae, the DPK’s chief spokesman, said at a briefing. He added, “Is the promise to the public a joke? I thought he would be different from President Yoon, but it turns out he’s no different,” he said. He continued, “Does he lack power, or is he too afraid of being disliked by Yongsan (the presidential office)?” He told reporters, “He has admitted that he is incapable of handling the special prosecutor bill,” adding, “It is rare to see a politician reveal his shortcomings in just one month.”

There are many in the DPK who advocate reintroducing the party’s special prosecutor bill, which grants the opposition the authority to recommend a special prosecutor, using Han’s failure to introduce the bill as justification. However, there is also a cautious sentiment to avoid disrupting the ongoing negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties’ leaderships ahead of the regular session of the National Assembly.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.