[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jo Hae-jin, a member of the Future United Party, argued that the truth behind the suspicions surrounding the death of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon should be investigated through a special prosecutor or special investigation rather than by the police or prosecution.
On the 15th, Jo appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "There are already doubts about whether the police themselves, who could be the subject of investigation, and the prosecution can properly investigate such a power-related case," emphasizing this point.
Earlier, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Party, also stated that if the suspicions regarding the late Mayor Park are not properly clarified, they plan to push for a national audit or special investigation.
Jo said, "There are stories from employees who ignored the victim's repeated complaints while at Seoul City, so if true, it could constitute concealment, fabrication, dereliction of duty, or abuse of power," adding, "There is also circumstantial evidence that information from the investigation after the complaint was leaked externally, which constitutes a criminal offense of official secret leakage. Therefore, both an investigation aimed at uncovering the truth and a prosecution based on punishment must proceed simultaneously."
In response, Kim Jong-min, a member of the Democratic Party, pointed out, "The investigation is not easy," and said, "Since the one side (the late Mayor Park) cannot currently testify, there is a limit to how much the substantive truth can be approached."
Jo responded, "If there is no separate evidence secured for conversations or actions that took place in a space with only the late Mayor Park and the victim, it is difficult to prove, but photos, texts, and conversations exchanged via Telegram could come out intact through forensic analysis," adding, "It is not true that the lack of evidence means it will be a one-sided claim."
Regarding the United Party's call for a special prosecutor, Kim said, "We must trust the basic integrity of those responsible for South Korea's judicial order, investigations, and trials," and added, "We should believe and trust that the police and prosecution will conduct investigations conscientiously and provide us with the results."
Jo countered, "You said there was no problem with the police, but currently, the Ulsan police are under prosecution investigation and trial due to the Ulsan Mayor's directive case," and added, "There are many precedents like this for the police, and especially in this case, if information was leaked at the police stage as I mentioned earlier, then the police themselves are subjects of investigation."
There was also a call for a structural approach to the series of sexual scandals involving prominent male politicians. Jo said, "When the case of former Governor Ahn Hee-jung happened, we were shocked but thought it was an exceptional case, but seeing former Mayor Oh Keo-don commit the same act made me think this might not be an exception."
Kim also said, "Not only in our party, but all three are local government heads," adding, "We need to look at this issue from various angles, such as local government heads or South Korean men. Beyond a simple criminal investigation, a social approach is needed to study and find directions for improvement regarding the social background and structure of this issue."
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