Seoul: A parliamentary judiciary subcommittee led by the Democratic Party (DP) passed a bill Wednesday that suspends an ongoing criminal trial for a president-elect despite opposition from the conservative party. The move came after the Supreme Court struck down a lower court's acquittal of DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on charges of election law violation, sending the case back to the appeals court.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the DP unilaterally passed the revision to the Criminal Procedure Act during a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee. Lawmakers of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) walked out of the session in protest. The PPP has strongly opposed the bill, claiming it was specifically introduced to favor Lee.
Article 84 of the Constitution stipulates that the president "shall not be charged with a criminal offense during his tenure of office except for insurrection or treason." However, there is currently no clear rule on whether a criminal trial in progress may continue if the indicted individual is later elected president.
During the meeting, the DP also passed a bill calling for a special counsel probe into former President Yoon Suk Yeol over an alleged influence-peddling scandal linked to the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and another special counsel bill to investigate insurrection charges against Yoon.