During Lee Jae-myung's tenure as leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, his chief of staff, Chun Jun-ho, assists Lee. [Photo=Yonhap News]The civic group, Committee for the Countermeasures of the People's Livelihood (Seominwi), has filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Democratic Party lawmaker Chun Jun-ho and 30 other National Assembly members, accusing them of sedition and abuse of power.

In its complaint submitted on the 6th, Seominwi argued that the "Special Prosecutor Act to Investigate the Truth of Fabricated Investigations and Prosecutions by the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration" (hereinafter referred to as the Special Prosecutor Act), proposed by the defendants, constitutes "sedition" that undermines the rule of law and violates the constitutional principle of the separation of powers.

Violation of Separation of Powers and Sedition

In its complaint, Seominwi stated, "Chun Jun-ho, acting interim floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and 30 others (including members of the special committee), immediately after the special committee concluded its work on April 30, 2026, have unilaterally and subjectively claimed that 'unreasonable charges were made by the prosecution in key cases related to former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, and investigative operations were planned based on political framing,' which are replete with unconstitutional and illegal elements." They further argued that this action, which aims to re-investigate cases currently under trial and appoint separate judges for arrest warrants, constitutes a clear violation of the constitution by infringing upon the judiciary's personnel and administrative powers.

Furthermore, they asserted, "The blatant proposal of a special prosecutor law to resolve the President's judicial risks is unprecedented and a violation of the rule of law. The re-investigation of cases currently under trial, such as the Daejang-dong development corruption and the alleged overseas remittance to North Korea by Ssangbangul, as well as the inclusion of cases for which the Supreme Court has remanded for retrial with a guilty verdict, and the separate appointment of judges for arrest warrants, are clear constitutional violations that infringe upon the judiciary's personnel and administrative powers."

The intention behind this, the complaint stated, is sedition (Article 87 of the Criminal Act) aimed at subverting the national constitution by excluding state power.

They also criticized the attempt to grant a clean slate to a specific politician by appointing exceptional investigators, disregarding existing criminal procedure, as a violation of the principle of equality and an act that destroys the constitutional order, calling it a "self-special prosecution."

Abuse of Legislative Power and Abuse of Authority Exceeded

Seominwi further argued that the attempt to dismiss indictments through a special prosecutor is a violation of existing laws and an irresponsible act that deprives the judiciary of its inherent authority.

Their position is that such indiscriminate exercise of legislative power goes beyond mere political debate and constitutes abuse of authority (Article 123 of the Criminal Act), simultaneously threatening the three pillars of the South Korean Constitution: separation of powers, the right to equality, and due process.

They added that the "Judicial Reform 3 Bills," which include the proposed abolition of the Prosecutor's Office, the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers, and the introduction of the "Law Distortion Crime" and "Trial Appeal System," would ultimately collapse the judicial system and cause suffering to the people.

The 31 individuals subject to this complaint include lawmakers Chun Jun-ho, Park Sung-joon, Jeon Yong-ki, Yang Bu-nam, Park Sun-won, Kim Dong-ah, Lee Ju-hee, Jung Tae-ho, Kim Moon-soo, Kim Seung-won, Ahn Tae-joon, Park Gyun-taek, Kim Nam-geun, Lee Ki-heon, Seo Young-kyo, Lee Yong-woo, Han Byeong-do, Park Hong-bae, Cho In-cheol, Song Jae-bong, Lee Geon-tae, Lee Sang-sik, Kim Hyun-jung, Park Yong-gap, Baek Seung-a, Kim Han-gyu, Moon Geum-joo, Lee Hoon-ki, Oh Se-hee, Kim Sung-hoe, and Jeon Jin-sook.

Kim Soon-hwan, Secretary-General of Seominwi, stated, "The irresponsible and immoral actions of the defendants are grave crimes that ruin the future of the nation, beyond the destruction of the judiciary," and called for "thorough investigation and severe punishment based on a zero-tolerance principle, regardless of status."

Seominwi Donation Account: Post Office 010108-01-014472

Account Holder: Committee for the Countermeasures of the People's Livelihood

Reporter Lim Yo-hee