Jang Je-won on Yoon's mother-in-law's arrest: "Should the son-in-law be responsible for mother-in-law's past incidents as well?"

Jang Je-won, Member of the People Power Party Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Jang Je-won, a member of the People Power Party, defended Choi Mo, the mother-in-law of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who was sentenced to three years in prison for fraudulent receipt of nursing care benefits, calling criticism of former Yoon "barbaric criticism."

On the 2nd, Jang said on Facebook, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's mother-in-law Choi Mo was taken into custody," adding, "The core issue is whether Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol was involved in the mother-in-law's case." He said, "When Yoon was the head of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, I, as a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, was the first to publicly mention the mother-in-law's case during the National Assembly inspection."

He continued, "Before the confirmation hearing for the Prosecutor General appointment, we intensively investigated and inquired about whether former Yoon was involved in the mother-in-law's case," adding, "We found no evidence whatsoever that former Yoon was involved in this case."

He also pointed out, "Without presenting any evidence that former Yoon intervened to cover up the case, baseless slander in the form of hearsay such as 'It is known that the mother-in-law got away because of the existence of the son-in-law who is the Prosecutor General' is nothing but a political offensive to bring down former Yoon."

He then questioned, "Should the son-in-law be responsible for the mother-in-law's past cases?"

Jang has maintained the position that opposition candidates outside the party, including former Yoon, should be protected at the party level. In particular, he sharply criticized various allegations surrounding former Yoon as "political manipulation." When the controversy over the "Yoon Seok-yeol X-file" erupted on the 20th of last month, he said on Facebook, "The smell of a sinister political plot to bring down former Yoon has begun to rise," urging within the party, "Now is the time to unite and protect our presidential candidates."

On the 21st, he also emphasized to the party, "If a candidate is from the pan-opposition camp, naturally the big house should step up to protect them," adding, "Only then will candidates outside the party gain trust in the big house, enabling the emergence of a unified presidential candidate centered on the big house."