Politics · South Korea · 10 hrs ago
South Korean lawmakers clash over calls to drop charges against president
South Korean lawmakers clashed over whether President Lee Jae Myung was seeking to drop charges in cases against him.
The dispute took place on October 22 at a parliamentary audit of the Public Prosecution Office in Seoul.
The opposition People Power Party said Lee had pressured prosecutors, including during a cabinet meeting, to cancel the indictments.
Lee’s Democratic Party said no one had ordered or considered dropping the charges.
Acting Prosecutor General Lee Jung-hyun said the office had not considered cancelling the charges against the president.
Democratic lawmakers also called for an investigation into alleged wrongful prosecutions, while lawmakers argued over the past forced return to North Korea of two North Korean fishermen accused of killing 16 crew members.
The disagreement leaves the president’s cases and the prosecutors’ handling of them under political scrutiny, but the sources give no decision or next step on whether the charges will be dropped.
South Korean lawmakers clashed on October 22 over whether President Lee Jae-myung had pressured officials to drop charges in cases against him.
The People Power Party accused Lee of urging prosecutors to cancel the charges, while the Democratic Party said there had been no instruction or review.
Acting Prosecution Service chief Lee Jeong-hyeon said the president had not asked him to cancel charges and that he had never raised the subject.
The acting chief declined to say whether he would refuse to direct a cancellation in every circumstance.
Lawmakers also disputed whether investigation agency heads should attend Cabinet meetings and argued over the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen.
- Who
- South Korean lawmakers from the People Power Party and Democratic Party, and acting Prosecution Service chief Lee Jeong-hyeon.
- What
- Lawmakers disputed allegations that President Lee Jae-myung had pressured officials to cancel charges in cases against him.
- When
- October 22, 2026.
- Where
- The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee hearing on the Prosecution Service in Seoul.
- Why
- The parties disagreed over whether Lee had urged the cancellation of charges and whether such action was being considered.
People Power Party
Democratic Party
Allegation
People Power Party
The party said President Lee had urged officials to cancel charges in his cases and had applied pressure at Cabinet meetings.
Democratic Party
The party said no one had instructed or considered cancelling the charges.
Basis
People Power Party
Lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek cited a reported remark by Lee about apologising and cancelling charges, and called the pressure inappropriate.
Democratic Party
Lawmaker Kim Han-gyu said the party’s accusations were baseless political attacks and noted that cases could be brought again if new evidence emerged.
People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek said Lee made a remark about apologising and cancelling charges in the presence of the acting prosecution chief.
Lawmakers argued over the allegations during the committee’s audit of the Prosecution Service.
Acting chief Lee Jeong-hyeon said Lee had not asked him to cancel charges and said he had not considered doing so.
- Hearing date
- October 22, 2026
- Location
- National Assembly, Seoul
- Acting chief
- Lee Jeong-hyeon
- Alleged cases
- Cases involving President Lee, including the Ssangbangwool remittance-to-North-Korea case
3 sources
What people are saying
I have not even uttered the word cancellation of prosecution.
I cannot agree at all.
Is that not a request to cancel the prosecution?
There is no one who ordered or considered cancelling the prosecution.