Former Justice Minister Park Sang-ki: "Lee Seong-yoon's Elimination Is Not Due to Prosecutor Investigation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyung-min and Kim Dae-hyun] Park Sang-ki, former Minister of Justice and chairman of the Prosecutor General Recommendation Committee, who presided over the meeting, stated regarding Lee Sung-yoon, Seoul Central District Prosecutor, being excluded from the list of candidates, "I do not believe the prosecution investigation had any influence," adding, "We did not discuss it in detail."

After the meeting on the 29th, former Minister Park said, "We proceeded fairly and transparently according to the regulations."

The recommendation committee decided to recommend to the Minister of Justice the following candidates for the next Prosecutor General: former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Oh-soo, Gwangju High Prosecutor General Koo Bon-sun, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute Bae Sung-beom, and Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Cho Nam-gwan.

Lee Sung-yoon, who was considered a strong candidate, was not included in the candidate pool. It is analyzed that allegations of investigation interference ultimately hindered his candidacy.

Lee, while serving as head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2019, was accused of exerting external pressure on the Anyang branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, which was investigating former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui's illegal travel ban. Lee became a suspect in this case. The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating Lee, plans to indict him soon.

Minister Park explained, "The atmosphere of the meeting was good," adding, "The proceedings satisfied everyone. Everyone was satisfied with the results. There were no significant disagreements."

He continued, "Votes were taken when necessary, but in fact, voting was not considered crucial. Overall, decisions were made by consensus."