Lee Seong-yoon: "I Never Ordered to Turn Black into White"

On the afternoon of the 10th, at the Ministry of Justice auditorium in the Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, is listening to the congratulatory speech of Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, during the ceremony for the reassignment of senior prosecution officials.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, emphasized on the 10th, "I confidently state that I have never given orders to 'turn black into white, or white into black' during the handling of cases."

Lee, who was promoted to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, conveyed in an email to staff on the same day, "Looking back on the time since I took office as the Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, it has been a continuous situation where I had to constantly maintain the balance of a ship rocking on rough waves and keep moving forward."

He said, "I have always believed that, given the criticism of some improper investigation methods and practices within the prosecution, investigations should be conducted with restraint, based on fundamentals, principles, and common sense." He added, "I have continuously pondered over cases, ensured procedures that those under investigation could accept as much as possible, and did my best to reach the most fair and objective conclusions accordingly."

Lee stated, "Since taking office as Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, there has not been a single day without sharp criticism from distorted perspectives, and there were times when my words and actions were misunderstood or misinterpreted in ways completely different from my intentions."

Regarding the indictment on suspicion of exerting external pressure in the investigation of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui's illegal travel ban, he said, "I apologize for causing concern as I was indicted for an incident that occurred while serving as the Head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

Lee's farewell ceremony was held privately on the 13th floor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, where the Chief Prosecutor's office is located, with only senior officials attending. Lee, who was promoted to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in the high-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle on the 4th, will assume his new position on the 11th.