[2020 National Audit] Yoon "Park Sang-gi Inquired About Leniency on the Day of Jo Guk's Search and Seizure"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] It has been reported that when the prosecution intensified the investigation into former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk last year, then Minister of Justice Park Sang-ki inquired with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol about leniency.

On the 22nd, during the National Assembly Judiciary Committee’s inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Prosecutor General Yoon responded to a question from Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "On the day of the search and seizure, Minister Park asked to meet, so I met him," and added, "He asked if there was any way to show some leniency." In response, Yoon said, "The opposition party and the media were raising suspicions, and I mentioned that if he resigned here, things might quiet down a bit, which could give us some discretion in handling the matter," and added, "I was just giving my opinion."

In particular, Prosecutor General Yoon confessed, "As a human being, I personally agonized a lot over whether we should investigate former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk."

Kim Do-eup, a member of the People Power Party, continued with remarks that seemed to interpret Minister Park’s inquiry about leniency as a form of improper solicitation. Kim argued, "We need to clarify whether a person who left the ministerial post, having been a professor, made a solicitation or if it was a request from the Blue House."

On the other hand, Prosecutor General Yoon drew a line, saying, "Please do not regard it as a solicitation." His overall explanation was that they were jointly concerned about how to resolve the matter well.