Jung Jin-seok "Yoon Seok-yeol Demands Apology for Past Investigations... Like Selling a Gourd for Millet"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Jeong Jin-seok, a member of the People Power Party, argued that old grudges related to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s past ‘deep-rooted corruption investigations’ should be washed away. He emphasized the need to resolve and embrace the intertwined emotions among party members regarding Yoon’s investigations during his prosecutorial days.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 29th, Jeong stated through social media (SNS), "Yoon Seok-yeol, the prosecutor who investigated the National Intelligence Service’s online comment manipulation case, and Park Young-soo, the special prosecutor who investigated President Park Geun-hye, with Yoon as the ‘team leader,’ merely fulfilled their roles within our judicial system," adding, "Even if it had been ‘Prosecutor Hong Gil-dong’ or ‘Team Leader Hong Gil-dong,’ there would have been no difference."

He also mentioned, "Without going far, immediately after the IMF crisis, our judiciary did not hold any high-ranking officials, including the president, accountable for their policy decisions." This implies that former Prosecutor General Yoon was simply performing his assigned duties, and there should be no responsibility imposed on him for the investigative decisions made during his public service.

Jeong said, "Demanding Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol to apologize individually for each case he investigated is like ‘carving a gourd into tiny grains of millet,’" and urged, "The historical mission our opposition party must carry out now is regime change. Minor grudges should be washed away in the great river of regime change."

In particular, he explained the phrase ‘carving a gourd into tiny grains of millet’ as having two meanings: ‘excessively petty’ and ‘an impossible task.’

Earlier, Kim Yong-pan, a member of the People Power Party, held a press conference the day before and stated, "If former Prosecutor General Yoon has decided to become a political leader, the top priority should be an apology," and added, "He must go through a sincere process of apology and reform, known as 과물탄개 (過勿憚改)." Kim referred to his own experience of being acquitted after being indicted on charges of covering up the National Intelligence Service’s online comment manipulation case while serving as the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief, demanding an apology.