Jeon Ju-hye, on Choo's Investigation Command Activation: "Rule of Law Collapsed... A Stain on Prosecutorial History"

Jeon Ju-hye, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] Jeon Ju-hye, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae's exercise of investigative authority, saying "the rule of law has collapsed" and "it will remain a stain in the history of the prosecution."

In an interview on the 20th with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Rep. Jeon said, "The Minister of Justice's investigative authority should be exercised very cautiously and only in clear cases," adding, "She has already taken control of the prosecution, and ultimately, it can only be interpreted as an attempt to neutralize Prosecutor General Yoon and cover up the ongoing investigation into power abuse."

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae (left) is arriving at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon on the morning of the 19th. Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is also arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul on the same morning.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Rep. Jeon stated, "I cannot accept Minister Chu's directive at all," and said, "In Minister Chu's investigative directive, it is claimed that '(Prosecutor General Yoon) received specific tips but did not report or investigate them,' but this is not true. It is even more necessary to call for a special prosecutor for the Optimus and Lime investigations."

She continued, "According to the letter from Kim Bong-hyun (former chairman of Star Mobility), the drinking party hospitality occurred in July 2019. At that time, the Lime case had not even been reported. The allegation that a prosecutor who attended the drinking party joined the Lime investigation team does not fit the timeline, as the Lime investigation team was formed earlier this year," adding, "Also, normal investigations were being conducted regarding opposition politicians suspected of involvement in the Lime case."

She further criticized, "Suddenly excluding Prosecutor General Yoon's investigative authority based on just one letter from Kim Bong-hyun without concrete circumstances is nothing but telling Prosecutor General Yoon to resign," and said, "Exercising investigative authority to exclude Prosecutor General Yoon based solely on suspicions is highly inappropriate."

Rep. Jeon said, "The prosecution reform under Minister Chu Mi-ae is essentially about taking control of the prosecution first and then neutralizing investigations into the administration," and pointed out, "Although the Minister of Justice's investigative authority was exercised in the Channel A case, no evidence of collusion between the media and prosecution has emerged so far."