Ruling and opposition clash over “prosecution deal” allegation

Mar 13, 2026, 08:48 am

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Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho attends a parliamentary audit of the Justice Ministry at the National Assembly on Oct. 14 last year. /Lee Byung-hwa

South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties clashed on March 12 over allegations that President Lee Jae-myung’s indictment was dropped as part of a deal with prosecutors — a claim that emerged from a broadcast by YouTuber Kim Eo-jun.

The conservative People Power Party (PPP) described the allegation as a potential abuse of state power and announced plans to push for a special counsel investigation. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), however, dismissed the claim as an unfounded conspiracy theory and warned of legal and political countermeasures.

PPP floor leader Song Eon-seok said during a party meeting at the National Assembly that the party would formally pursue a special counsel probe into the alleged deal involving the cancellation of Lee’s indictment and negotiations over prosecutorial investigative authority.

“This would amount to a state power scandal in which major national policies were traded to erase one individual’s criminal acts,” Song said. “If true, it clearly constitutes grounds for impeachment under the Constitution and the law.”

Song added that the PPP would submit the special counsel bill as soon as preparations were completed. “If the allegation proves false, those who spread the suspicion, including Kim Eo-jun, must face strict punishment,” he said.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk also described the allegation as “clear grounds for presidential impeachment,” saying that a special counsel investigation was necessary to determine the truth.

Senior party member Shin Dong-wook suggested that the alleged deal involved prosecutors canceling the indictment in exchange for retaining certain powers before the prosecution system is restructured. Another senior member, Cho Kwang-han, claimed that “unreasonable events are occurring under a judiciary controlled by legislative and executive powers,” adding that the possibility of a “disgraceful criminal act involving an indictment cancellation deal” was significant.

The Democratic Party strongly denied the allegations.

DPK leader Chung Cheong-rae said during the party’s caucus meeting that such a scenario was unimaginable under the Lee administration.

“In a democratic Lee Jae-myung government, something like this cannot happen and would never happen,” Chung said. “An indictment cancellation is not something that can be traded, nor should it ever be.”

Chung added that the party would work to ensure that its push for prosecution reform is not undermined and would take firm action against what he described as baseless political attacks and conspiracy theories.

DPK floor leader Han Byung-do also rejected the claim, calling it an anti-democratic act that distorts public opinion and divides the nation.

“It is simply not logical to claim that President Lee struck a deal with prosecutors who had tried to bring him to court without evidence or sound reasoning,” Han said.

Party spokesperson Kang Jun-hyun likewise criticized the opposition, saying the allegation was a political attack exaggerating an unverified claim into a major scandal.

“Talking about a special counsel probe and even impeachment over baseless claims is pitiful,” Kang said.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho also denied the allegations in a Facebook post the previous day, stating that he had never instructed prosecutors to cancel an indictment in any specific case or delivered any message linking such action to supplemental investigative authority.

#Lee Jae-myung indictment cancellation allegation #prosecution deal controversy #Democratic Party of Korea #People Power Party