Yoon Mi-hyang, Only One Day Left for 'Immunity from Arrest'

Allegations Related to Yoon Mee-hyang of Justice Coalition
Parliamentary Consent Required for Summoning Lawmaker
Investigation Expected to Take Significant Time
High Possibility of One-Shot Summoning

Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is arriving at her office in the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Donghoon Jung] Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, did not appear before the prosecution until the morning of the 4th, one day before she would gain immunity from arrest. After this day passes, if the prosecution wants to summon Yoon, they must obtain a detention warrant from the court and secure the consent of the National Assembly.

Yoon arrived at her office in the National Assembly Members' Office Building around 8 a.m. that day. A prosecution official said in a phone call, "We cannot confirm the summons schedule." Yoon was reported to the prosecution on allegations of embezzling funds intended for comfort women victims during her tenure as chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon). Since the National Assembly session begins on the 5th, it is expected to take a considerable amount of time before an actual investigation can be conducted unless Yoon voluntarily appears. To summon a sitting member of the National Assembly during a session, the consent of the majority of the Assembly is required. The Democratic Party, to which Yoon belongs, currently holds 177 seats, a majority.

The Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Ji-seok), which is investigating this case, has decided to keep all details regarding Yoon's summons schedule and method confidential. Although the timing is uncertain, it is highly likely that the prosecution will conduct a "one-shot summons," calling Yoon only once for questioning. Repeatedly detaining a sitting member of the National Assembly is also a burden for the prosecution. So far, the prosecution has analyzed Yoon’s and Jeonguiyeon’s financial accounts and accounting records to clarify allegations of breach of duty and embezzlement, and has summoned the accounting staff of Jeonguiyeon multiple times for questioning.

Initially, there was a strong expectation within and outside the prosecution that the summons investigation of Yoon would begin before the session started. Since sitting members of the National Assembly have immunity from arrest and detention without the Assembly’s consent during sessions, securing custody later would be difficult. Although there remains a possibility of her appearing in the afternoon of the 4th, since late-night investigations have been abolished, it is highly likely that Yoon’s summons investigation will be postponed. The afternoon alone does not provide enough time to uncover the substantive truth of the allegations.