Choo: "Fair Investigation Aligns with Public's Desire"
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 9th, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae evaluated Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's acceptance of investigation command by stating, "The decision to allow the investigation team to conduct the investigation independently aligns with the public's desire for a fair investigation."
Minister Choo distributed a statement to reporters at 10 a.m., the deadline she set for a response, saying, "Although it is belated, the Prosecutor General himself avoided command to restore fairness in the investigation following the minister's directive."
Minister Choo pointed out, "If the Prosecutor General realized that the feelings he experienced as the head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) investigation team are not different from those currently felt by this investigation team, it is proper to avoid undermining the independence and fairness of the investigation."
Earlier, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced in the morning that it would accept the investigation command, mentioning, "The Prosecutor General was forced to step down from his duties as the head of the NIS investigation team in 2013 and had no choice but to withdraw from investigation command." In response, the Ministry of Justice refuted the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's claim that the Ministry first proposed an independent investigation headquarters to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and requested a public proposal.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office requested that the head of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office be appointed as the team leader, and although the Ministry's working-level staff reviewed this, it was never reported to the minister," adding, "There was no mention of establishing an independent investigation headquarters nor any request to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to make a public proposal."
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