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People Power Party lawmakers, including Rep. Na Kyung-won (center), hold a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on November 10, calling for an emergency inquiry into the prosecution’s decision to drop its appeal in the Daejang-dong development corruption case. / Source: Yonhap News

The ruling and opposition parties collided Monday over the prosecution’s decision to withdraw its appeal in the high-profile Daejang-dong development corruption case. The Democratic Party (DP) defended the move as a necessary correction of what it called a “fabricated indictment” under the previous administration, labeling the prosecutors’ internal backlash as an act of “insubordination.” The People Power Party (PPP), meanwhile, accused the Justice Ministry and the presidential office of intervening to protect President Lee Jae-myung.

DP floor leader Kim Byung-ki said during the party’s supreme council meeting, “The prosecution team’s backlash amounts to a coup-like revolt by pro-Yoon political prosecutors.” He argued, “They filed politically motivated charges that collapsed in court, yet they feel no shame.”

Rep. Seo Young-kyo added that the decision was in line with Supreme Prosecutors’ Office regulations, saying, “Given courtroom testimony that a key Daejang-dong figure was coerced into cooperation, we must investigate the illegal and fabricated nature of the previous probe.” The DP plans to pursue all options — from a parliamentary inquiry to a special counsel investigation — to uncover what it calls “the truth behind the manipulated indictment.”

The PPP, on the other hand, alleged direct interference from higher authorities. Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk said at a meeting in North Chungcheong Province, “The Justice Ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office blocked the appeal in the Daejang-dong case. This is the biggest development scandal in Korean history — yet they let it go, turning an ₩7.8 trillion corruption case into just ₩400 billion.” He claimed the government had effectively “handed ₩7.4 trillion in hush money to the Daejang-dong gang,” calling for a special investigation and warning, “This will end in impeachment.”

The controversy also disrupted plans for an emergency session of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The committee said it had proposed meeting on November 11 due to the DP’s national workshop but that the PPP refused, insisting their requested witnesses attend.

PPP lawmakers, including Na Kyung-won, held a press conference accusing the DP of blocking efforts to summon eight witnesses — four prosecutors involved in the investigation and trial, and four individuals the DP had requested. “The DP plans to hold a hollow session tomorrow without a clear agenda, just for show,” they said.

The escalating confrontation underscored deepening divisions over the Daejang-dong case, which has continued to reverberate across Korea’s legal and political landscape since President Lee — once a central figure in the probe — took office.