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Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, speaks during an emergency forum at the National Assembly on November 24 discussing the proposed “Special Act on Recovering Criminal Proceeds from the Daejang-dong Scandal.” / Source: Song Ui-joo

South Korea’s opposition People Power Party (PPP) announced on November 24 that it will adopt as party policy a special bill allowing the retroactive confiscation of illicit profits tied to the Daejang-dong development corruption scandal.

At an emergency forum at the National Assembly on the proposed “Special Act on Recovering Criminal Proceeds from the Daejang-dong Scandal,” Floor Leader Song Eon-seok vowed, “We will recover the criminal proceeds of the Daejang-dong cartel and return them to the national treasury.”

Calling the recovery of illicit gains “a demand of the times,” Song argued that the special legislation was essential to meet that demand.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk issued sharp criticism of the administration, saying, “We are witnessing a grim reality in which the Daejang-dong gate — emblematic of illegality and moral collapse — has been effectively transformed into a state-sanctioned crime under the government’s protection.”

Jang accused the Justice Ministry of pressuring prosecutors to abandon their appeal, saying that “astronomical criminal proceeds were allowed to flow directly into the pockets of the perpetrators.”

He also criticized the promotion of Seoul Central District Prosecutor Park Cheol-woo, calling him “the architect of the unpatriotic decision to drop the appeal.”

Jang charged that the administration was “building an ironclad cartel of corruption to protect criminal proceeds,” describing it as “arrogance and a declaration of war against the people.”

He added that the move effectively sends a message to “cancel the indictment of President Lee Jae-myung, just as the appeal was withdrawn,” accusing the government of “plundering the hard-earned assets of decent citizens to enrich criminals linked to power.”

“This is not political strife,” he said. “It is our duty to defend the nation’s integrity and uphold justice in the Republic of Korea.”