One More Punch from Chu, Yoon's Deepening Dilemma... Eyes on Tomorrow's National Assembly Audit Remarks

“Prosecutor General Deceived the People,” “Should Have Apologized Before Getting Angry”… Direct Hit
Prosecutor General Yoon Gained Fame in 2013 National Assembly Audit for Saying “I Do Not Loyally Serve People”
Tomorrow’s National Assembly Judiciary Committee Audit of Prosecutor General’s Office… Attention on Whether ‘Deliberate Remarks’ Will Emerge

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae (left) and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] On the 21st, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae once again launched a direct attack on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, using harsh expressions such as calling the Supreme Prosecutors' Office "a deceiver of the people."

As criticism from opposition parties and the media intensified over the removal of the Prosecutor General's command authority in five cases including the Lime scandal, she emphasized the legitimacy of her investigative command and moved to contain the situation.

Accordingly, attention is focused on what response Prosecutor General Yoon will present at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office National Assembly inspection on the 22nd. Some speculate that Minister Choo's second offensive provided a pretext for Yoon's 'determined remarks.'

At around 8:10 a.m. that day, Minister Choo directly attacked Prosecutor General Yoon on her Facebook, saying, "Before the Prosecutor General gets angry and calls it slander, whether he knew or not, as a commander, he should have first reflected and apologized. It is regrettable."

There had been speculation that the official letter removing the investigative command authority was pressuring the Prosecutor General to resign, and this statement could be interpreted as a more explicit demand for resignation.

Minister Choo mentioned that in June, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Ministry of Justice launched the 'Human Rights Investigation System Improvement TF' and announced plans to improve the practice of repeated summonses for separate investigations, pointing out, "Regarding Kim Bong-hyun, after his detention on April 23, he was summoned as many as 66 times within three months to repeatedly interrogate and coax him about ruling party politicians."

She continued, "Even at the moment when they said they would eradicate unfair investigative practices, they were diligently collecting crime information using detainees," and fiercely criticized the prosecution, saying, "Now, even if you say you are making meju from soybeans, there are no people left who will believe it."

Regarding voices criticizing the unfairness of the removal of investigative command authority, she said, "Before the opposition parties and the media blindly criticize that the minister exercised command authority over the Prosecutor General based on a single letter from a swindler, they should first target the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that deceived the people."

It was also revealed again that although lobbying testimony against opposition politicians was delivered to the prosecution by former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun, the investigation was 'covered up.'

Minister Choo criticized, "There were statements about entertainment provided to opposition politicians and prosecutors, but the Southern District Prosecutor's Office chief only reported face-to-face to the Prosecutor General and kept it unknown to anyone else. There was no report even to the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption Investigation Department."

On this point, the prosecution explains in the opposite manner. Recently, at a National Assembly inspection, Park Soon-cheol, head of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office, testified that after the Prosecutor General was informed about the opposition politicians' issue, he directed a thorough investigation, and that there was no such testimony regarding prosecutors' entertainment.

Ultimately, Minister Choo is criticized for rejecting the prosecution's explanation and attacking Prosecutor General Yoon and the prosecution solely based on former Chairman Kim's testimony.

A current prosecutor, Mr. A, commented on Minister Choo's remarks pointing out the problem of the prosecution summoning former Chairman Kim multiple times for investigation, saying, "With strengthened protection of suspects' human rights, it is common to release them if they say they feel unwell after a few hours of questioning. It is problematic to conclude it as excessive investigation simply based on the number of summonses without understanding the reality on the ground."

Meanwhile, on the 22nd, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee will conduct a National Assembly inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. This comes right after the activation of Minister Choo's investigative command authority amid revelations of lobbying involving ruling and opposition politicians and prosecutors in the Lime and Optimus case investigations.

It is expected that ruling and opposition lawmakers will attempt to grasp the situation, and further disclosures and criticisms will follow. In this process, attention will focus on what opinions Prosecutor General Yoon will express regarding Minister Choo's repeated criticism of the prosecution and the removal of his command authority.

Prosecutor General Yoon is known for his famous remark, "I do not pledge loyalty to any person," made when he appeared as a witness at the 2013 National Assembly inspection and exposed investigative pressure during the 'National Intelligence Service online comment manipulation case.'