National Assembly passes special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments

The National Assembly, under the Democratic Party, approved a bill on Friday for a special counsel investigation into allegations of fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae Myung and others, following protests from the main opposition party. The measure passed with a 167-1 vote in a plenary session, after the opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote.

The DP introduced the bill in April, arguing for an independent counsel to examine claims that the former president's administration fabricated evidence or coerced false testimonies to build cases against Lee and others. The PPP has vehemently opposed the bill, alleging it seeks to nullify all indictments against Lee. Protests against the bill took place outside the National Assembly before the vote, and the opposition plans to hold a demonstration in Seoul on Saturday.