Yoon Seok-yeol Directly Refutes Crushing Allegations... "Baseless Story"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol denied allegations that he did not thoroughly supervise the investigation despite receiving reports from the Lime Asset Management case investigation team about corruption suspicions involving opposition politicians, calling it "an absurd story."

On the 18th, in a phone call with a media outlet, Prosecutor General Yoon responded to the Ministry of Justice's announcement accusing him of "insufficient supervision of the investigation," stating, "That is an absurd story. Why would I neglect the investigation?" It is unusual for Prosecutor General Yoon to directly clarify matters related to the investigation.

In particular, he emphasized, "I instructed the investigation team to investigate opposition figures when they said they were investigating them, and the investigation is still ongoing," adding, "Where is the distinction between ruling and opposition parties? When the frontline conducts an investigation, the Prosecutor General has nothing to do with giving orders. It is not about telling someone to investigate or not investigate." Regarding the claim that he did not properly supervise the investigation despite receiving reports of prosecutors' misconduct, Yoon said, "I have never received such reports."

Earlier, the Ministry of Justice announced, "From the 16th to the 18th, a direct inspection was conducted on former CEO Kim related to the Lime Asset Management case. Despite former CEO Kim testifying to the prosecution about allegations such as 'prosecutors and investigators receiving entertainment and bribes' and 'billion-won bribery lobbying involving opposition politicians who are former prosecutors,' as well as 'misconduct by ruling party figures,' it was confirmed that the investigation into these allegations was not properly conducted."

Furthermore, the Ministry stated, "Although the Prosecutor General was directly involved in selecting the prosecutors for the Lime Asset Management case and repeatedly emphasized thorough investigation, there are suspicions that despite receiving specific reports on the misconduct of opposition politicians and prosecutors, he did not instruct a thorough investigation as he did with ruling party figures. Considering the relevance of these suspicions, the results of the ongoing inspection, and the nature of the allegations, we are reviewing the investigative body and methods separately from the ongoing inspection."

Prosecutor General Yoon countered the Ministry of Justice's announcement, saying, "The dispatch from other agencies is decided through consultation among the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and the respective agency," adding, "The Ministry of Justice must give final approval, so the Prosecutor General cannot make the decision alone." He continued, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office only approves external dispatches," and said, "The claim that the Prosecutor General selected all the investigative prosecutors is nonsense."

Meanwhile, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office officially rebutted the Ministry of Justice's announcement. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated that the Ministry's announcement was "completely unfounded and a slanderous attack against the Prosecutor General."