Lee Jae-myung "Fellow Sufferers, Support Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's Retrial Movement"

Proving Prosecutorial Reform as a Timely Task of the Moon Jae-in Government... Separation of Investigation and Prosecution and Limiting Evidentiary Power of Prosecutorial Records Needed

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed his support for former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's retrial movement with a sense of shared suffering, in response to media reports that the prosecution had engaged in 'subornation of perjury' during the investigation of Han's political funds case.

Furthermore, he stated that the prosecution reform pursued by the Moon Jae-in administration once again proves to be a timely task, arguing that investigation and prosecution should be separated and the evidentiary power of prosecution records should be limited.

On the 30th, through a Facebook post titled 'Shared Suffering... Supporting Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's Retrial Movement,' Governor Lee said, "'Do not create even one innocent person who suffers injustice, even if you miss ten guilty parties' is an old legal maxim," adding, "However, South Korea today continues to suffer from shameless acts of some political and corrupt prosecutors fabricating crimes, mutilating cases, and abusing prosecutorial power with the attitude of 'even if innocent, just suffer a bit."

He particularly pointed out, "There has been testimony that the prosecution suborned perjury in the trial of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook," and said, "(If this is true) the prosecution's fabrication of evidence, which should disclose facts favorable to the defendant as a public duty, is an unacceptable human rights violation and an act that disrupts the constitutional order."

Governor Lee argued that while a security guard who neglects a thief is worse than the thief, making an innocent person a thief is a more evil act than the security guard neglecting the thief.

He further added, "Whether the prosecution suborned perjury remains to be seen, but based on the behavior of some political and corrupt prosecutors I have witnessed so far, it is quite possible, and I believe the prosecution's subornation of perjury to turn innocence into guilt is closer to the truth."

He also criticized the unjust behavior of the prosecution surrounding himself.

Governor Lee said, "Even after the Candlelight Revolution, they tried to end the political life of a governor elected by the overwhelming support of 13.7 million residents through evidence fabrication and concealment," adding, "The forced diagnosis of mentally ill persons at risk of harm is the mayor's duty under the Mental Health Act, but the prosecution, despite securing numerous evidence of innocence such as videos and audio recordings showing violence by the mentally ill, concealed this and prosecuted me for abuse of authority for forcibly diagnosing a person without mental illness, and even obstructed the submission of concealed evidence in court until the end."

He continued, "After great difficulty, I found the concealed evidence and was acquitted of the abuse of authority charge, but due to the prosecution's flashy media play, I had already become a despicable person before the verdict," expressing frustration, "The pain of even contemplating extreme choices and the public's misunderstanding continue to this day."

Governor Lee further proposed, "To prevent prosecutorial abuse of authority, investigation and prosecution powers should be separated, and even in direct investigations, investigative prosecutors and prosecuting prosecutors should be separated," adding, "To prevent distortion and fabrication of cases and to allow judges to examine cases without prejudice (adversarial system), the evidentiary power of prosecution records should be limited."

He also said, "I actively support the Ministry of Justice's policy to separate investigative and prosecuting prosecutors and the court's limitation on the evidentiary power of prosecution records," urging, "The adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution should also be carried out promptly."

Finally, Governor Lee expressed, "I feel deep shared suffering with former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who suffers from an unjust prosecution trial and is forced to live a shabby life with even tens of thousands of won from lecture fees in her bank account seized due to fines," and stated, "I support prosecution reform and former Prime Minister Han's retrial movement."

Earlier, a certain broadcast reported for the first time that one of the prosecution witnesses who appeared at the first trial of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's case testified that there had been 'subornation of perjury' by the prosecution in the past.

The witness reportedly stated that their testimony at the time was false and that the prosecution had coached them to give such testimony.

In particular, the witness submitted a petition to the Ministry of Justice on the 7th of last month, stating that there had been 'evidence fabrication and other irregularities' during the prosecution's investigation of Han Myeong-sook's case, and the Ministry of Justice forwarded this petition to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the 17th of last month.