Prosecutors Clash... Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Seong-yoon to Meet Today

‘Geomun Yuchak’ Investigation Sparks Direct Clash, Weekly Report Held Next Day
Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's 'Indictment Decision' Likely to Be Delayed

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The two top prosecutors of the prosecution, who are in direct conflict over the handling direction of the 'prosecutor-media collusion' case, will meet face-to-face on the 1st.

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General (59, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 23), and Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (57, Class 23), are scheduled to discuss current issues during the weekly briefing in the afternoon.

This comes just one day after Chief Prosecutor Lee expressed dissatisfaction with Prosecutor General Yoon's decision to convene a special investigation advisory panel regarding the prosecutor-media collusion case, proposed halting related procedures, and urged the guarantee of the Central District Prosecutors' Office's independence in its duties.

According to the prosecution on that day, Chief Prosecutor Lee usually visits Prosecutor General Yoon every Wednesday afternoon to report on major case investigations.

Initially, there was much speculation inside and outside the prosecution that during this report, Chief Prosecutor Lee would present the final handling plan of the investigation team regarding Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's case and receive Prosecutor General Yoon's approval.

Since the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee had made a decision last week, it was expected that the prosecution would reach a final conclusion on the investigation within this week. However, as the Deliberation Committee expressed an opinion completely opposite to that of the investigation team, the Central District Prosecutors' Office's position has been delayed, making it unlikely that a conclusion will be reached during this weekly briefing, according to prosecution officials.

Meanwhile, the meeting between the two is expected to proceed in a colder atmosphere than usual due to the heated exchanges between the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Central District Prosecutors' Office the previous day.

The day before, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office immediately rebutted the claims and demands, which appeared as public defiance by the Central District Prosecutors' Office, stating, "The investigation has a human rights-infringing nature, so it is conducted under the command and approval of the superior institution, and such basic principles are being abandoned by these claims."

However, since the Prosecutors' Office Act stipulates that the Prosecutor General oversees prosecution affairs and has the authority to command and supervise prosecutors' office officials, it seems difficult for Chief Prosecutor Lee to continue rejecting Prosecutor General Yoon's decisions and instructions.

Therefore, the advisory panel scheduled for the 3rd is highly likely to be convened as planned by Prosecutor General Yoon and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. If the advisory panel, composed of prosecutors and legal experts, concludes through strict legal interpretation that it is difficult to establish the charge of 'attempted coercion' against Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon and others, a strong backlash from the Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation team is expected.