Yoon Seok-yeol Meets Joeun San: "The Investigation of Cho Kuk Is Neither Justice Nor Politics but Common Sense"

Yoon Seok-yeol, a presidential candidate who recently joined the People Power Party, is greeting Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader, and other Supreme Council members during a visit to the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Yoon Seok-yeol, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, reportedly said, "The investigation of Cho Kuk was neither justice nor politics. It was common sense," during a meeting with Jin-in (塵人) Jo Eun-san, who gained attention for his 'Seven Proposals for the New Year' in the form of a memorial letter criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration.

On the 3rd, Jo posted on his blog an article titled "I met former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol," stating, "I asked why the Cho Kuk investigation was conducted. After completing the National Intelligence Service investigation and the purge of deep-rooted evils, why didn't you just become the embodiment of the progressive camp? I asked if your sense of justice was that you could have done politics comfortably but chose not to," he conveyed.

Yoon and Jo reportedly met at a Korean restaurant near Gwanghwamun in Seoul and talked for about 100 minutes. According to Jo, Yoon said, "Reading the Seven Proposals, the anger of a citizen, an office worker, and a family man strongly resonated with me and left a deep impression." Jo replied, "I wrote it while quite drunk, and that writing twisted my life." To this, Yoon reportedly said, "Writing ultimately comes from a person's life, but sometimes it changes a person's life."

Jo explained, "When he began to talk about 'justice,' he appeared to be just a human being faithful to himself, shedding the ideological framework that shaped him?the image of a righteous prosecutor or a fighter against the regime."

He added, "Surprisingly, he was cautious about 'justice.' He said that the moment a prosecutor is stained with a sense of justice, the investigation risks losing fairness, so as a professional, a prosecutor should base their actions on ethics and common sense rather than justice, which he called 'professional conscience.'"

Jo said Yoon mentioned, "When unfair pressure is applied to an investigation, that is when justice exerts its power," adding, "I did not ask specifically what kind of pressure was applied to the prosecution's investigation that inevitably targeted the regime, nor did he specify. He only said, 'The pressure was very persistent, very soft, but very strong.'"

He continued, "In a world where politically biased justice runs rampant?where investigating Roh Moo-hyun is injustice, investigating Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye is justice, investigating Cho Kuk is again injustice, and disciplining the prosecutor general who investigated him is again justice?I was rather relieved that he spoke of common sense rather than justice."

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who is suspected of admission fraud involving his children, is attending the continuation of the first trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 23rd of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Jo said, "I asked former Prosecutor General Yoon, 'Which style of politics do you want to pursue: Mayweather, who dodges punches to avoid getting hit, or Tyson, who stubbornly takes hits aiming for a knockout?'" He recalled, "He answered Tyson without hesitation. His philosophy was firm, and his speech was straightforward."

Jo said, "You have been getting hit hard these days, but it suits you well," to which Yoon reportedly laughed heartily.

Jo described him as "a great orator as I had heard," but added, "He did not speak as if he knew everything, nor did he speak as if he would accept everything. It was a moment when I somewhat understood the controversies surrounding his successive remarks. However, if he had focused on more refined and strategic language, the current Yoon Seok-yeol would not have existed in the first place."

Furthermore, he said, "(Former Prosecutor General Yoon) was not much different from the images seen in media photos or various videos," adding, "But the version of him I encountered in person was closer to a village bus driver uncle who would look just right wearing sunglasses than a heavyweight politician of the opposition."