Park Beom-gye "Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Indicted Lee Seong-yoon at Seoul Central District Court... Forced Chunhyang to Match Jurisdiction"

On the 13th, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, is visiting the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office in Gangwon.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, criticized the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team for indicting Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, at the Seoul Central District Court.

On the morning of the 13th, while visiting the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office in Gangwon Province, Minister Park told reporters, "It is a forced Chunhyang to match jurisdiction," referring to the situation.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team, having been appointed as acting prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office the previous day, indicted Chief Prosecutor Lee at the Seoul Central District Court. This was because Lee's address and the crime scene fall under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Court, and to file a motion to consolidate the case with those of Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won and Cha Gyu-geun, head of the Ministry of Justice's Immigration Headquarters, who were previously indicted.

Regarding this, Minister Park argued, "Isn't it strange that Suwon District Prosecutors' Office conducted the investigation but the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is the one indicting?" He added, "I never told Suwon District Prosecutors' Office not to investigate and have been monitoring the investigation, but if Suwon District Prosecutors' Office conducted the investigation, it is proper for them to indict." He also said, "Why don't the media ask about that?"

When asked about whether to suspend Chief Prosecutor Lee from duty or request disciplinary action, he avoided a direct answer, saying, "It is not an issue to conclude easily" and "We need to examine it further."

Regarding former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae's criticism of the Joint Securities Crime Investigation Unit as a place that conducted illegal investigations using prisoners, Minister Park said, "It is true that such phenomena occurred in the past to some extent," and added, "I will take (former Minister Chu's opinion) into consideration."

Meanwhile, Minister Park visited the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office that day to encourage staff and held a meeting with junior prosecutors. In the afternoon, he plans to visit an orchard in Chuncheon to observe social service order recipients assisting with farm work in rural areas.