Kim Do-eup: "The one deceiving the people is Choo, who performs a 'wild sword dance'... blinded by power"

Choo Mi-ae: "Supreme Prosecutors' Office deceived the public... Chief Prosecutor should have apologized as a commander"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is arriving at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of the 21st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 21st, Kim Do-eup, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's remark that "the Supreme Prosecutors' Office deceived the public," saying, "The one deceiving the public is Minister Choo, who is dancing a reckless sword dance over a single letter from a fraud suspect."

Kim, the opposition party's secretary of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that day, "The real targets Minister Choo should be directing investigations at are Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Lee Soon-cheol, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office."

He pointed out, "(Minister Choo claims that the prosecution is conducting a lenient investigation into cases related to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's family, but the person responsible for that investigation is not Prosecutor General Yoon but Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon," adding, "These cases have already been investigated by the prosecution, police, and the Financial Supervisory Service, and were concluded to have no charges."

He continued, "Moreover, during Prosecutor General Yoon's confirmation hearing, ruling party members emphasized that 'there were no problems,' and at that time, Cho Kuk, then Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, and Choi Kang-wook, Secretary for Public Office Discipline, conducted verifications, and the president pushed through the appointment despite opposition from the opposition party," adding, "Regarding the Lime lobbying allegations, proper investigations have not been conducted either, but the subject of the investigation is Chief Prosecutor Lee Soon-cheol, and Prosecutor General Yoon received reports and issued thorough investigation orders."

He criticized, "In this way, Minister Choo has absolutely no reason to exercise her authority to direct investigations," and said, "Even though half of the public says that Minister Choo's exercise of investigative authority was wrong, she wields her omnipotent sword without batting an eye."

Kim also said, "Minister Choo's exercise of investigative authority is a political maneuver to oust Prosecutor General Yoon," and "If Prosecutor General Yoon steps down, the direction of the investigation will inevitably change, and those applauding will be the main culprits of the Lime case and their protective forces."

He added, "Minister Choo is now blinded by power," and "She devised a strategy to use prosecutorial reform as an excuse to wield her sword mercilessly for her political ambitions, trying to erase the political stigma that she led the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun and win the hearts of the Democratic Party's fervent supporters."

Kim urged, "The Democratic Party should immediately accept the proposal for a special prosecutor again," and emphasized, "President Moon should not follow Minister Choo's reckless sword dance but immediately dismiss her."

Earlier, Minister Choo criticized the Supreme Prosecutors' Office while mentioning the investigation into Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility, who was pointed out as the mastermind behind the Lime Asset Management scandal.

On that day, through her Facebook, Minister Choo said, "I hoped that there would be even a single moment of sincerity in 'prosecutorial reform.' However, such expectations and trust have collapsed, and I am truly disappointed," and pointed out, "Before the opposition party and the media blindly criticize that 'the minister exercised her authority over the prosecutor general based on a single letter from a fraudster,' they should first target the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that deceived the public."

She added, "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."