'Porsche Bribery Allegation' Former Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo Is a 'Public Official'... Police Say "Investigation Will Follow Procedures"

Former Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A legal interpretation has been issued stating that former special prosecutor Park Young-soo, who is suspected of receiving a Porsche rental car and other items from Kim, who impersonated a fisherman, falls under the category of 'public officials, etc.' according to the Act on the Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and Graft (Improper Solicitation and Graft Act).

On the 16th, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced that it reached this conclusion after receiving a request for a legal interpretation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency regarding whether the special prosecutor is subject to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, reviewing relevant laws, and consulting with internal and external experts.

The Commission stated, "We comprehensively considered that the special prosecutor is appointed with duties, authority, and obligations equivalent or similar to those of a prosecutor concerning the relevant case, and that the appointment, qualifications, scope of duties, remuneration, and status protection are regulated to be comparable to those of prosecutors or judges, and that penalties are applied as if they were public officials."

Accordingly, former special prosecutor Park is expected to be investigated for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. A representative from the Violent Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, which is in charge of the investigation, said, "The investigation (of former special prosecutor Park) will proceed according to procedure," adding, "It is not the stage to discuss whether he will be booked or the timing of summons."