[The Editors' Verdict] Swift and Fair Investigation Needed into 'Prosecution Accusation Outsourcing' Allegations

Seokjin Choi, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter.

[Asia Economy Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter] All other issues in the presidential election race are being overshadowed by the allegations of the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution’s ‘prosecution accusation outsourcing’ involving pro-government politicians, reported by the internet media Newsbus.

Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party who repeatedly changed his statements regarding the preparation of the accusation letter and thus intensified suspicions, maintained an ambiguous stance at a press conference on the 8th, saying, “I did not write the accusation letter, but I may have delivered it.”

The core of the allegations raised by Newsbus is that “in April last year, Son Joon-sung, former Policy Officer of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Investigation Information Policy Division, delivered accusation letters against pro-government figures such as Yoo Si-min, Choi Kang-wook, and Hwang Hee-seok to Representative Kim, thereby outsourcing the accusations, and that former Prosecutor General Yoon was behind this.”

If the allegations are true, former Prosecutor General Yoon would immediately lose his qualification as a presidential candidate and face criminal punishment, making this a highly explosive issue. Naturally, the order of business is to thoroughly uncover the truth of the allegations through inspection and investigation.

The problem lies in the biased reporting behavior of Newsbus, which raised the allegations, and the ruling party’s political exploitation of the issue.

Newsbus pointed to former Policy Officer Son as the eyes and ears of the Prosecutor General and noted that the people listed as victims in the accusation letters were Kim Gun-hee, wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon, and Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon, classified as a close aide, as grounds to identify former Prosecutor General Yoon as the mastermind.

However, former Policy Officer Son was appointed directly by then Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who strongly wished to retain the predecessor, making it difficult to view him as a loyal subordinate to whom former Prosecutor General Yoon would entrust such a tremendous task as ‘outsourcing accusations against opposition politicians.’

Although former Policy Officer Son stated that he “never wrote or delivered the accusation letters,” even if it is confirmed that he delivered the accusation letters to Representative Kim for some reason, whether former Prosecutor General Yoon was involved is a completely separate issue that requires proof through specific testimony or evidence.

Nevertheless, Newsbus reported former Prosecutor General Yoon’s involvement as a fait accompli, and the ruling party has been using this to launch a relentless offensive against him.

Representative Kim clearly responded in his first call with a Newsbus reporter that “I have nothing to do with former Prosecutor General Yoon,” but this was not reflected in the article.

The problematic accusation letter made public through the media contains the term ‘jeongeon-yuchak’ (정언유착), which had not been used at all in politics or the media as of April 3 last year, when the accusation letter was delivered. The Telegram screenshot photo presented as physical evidence of the ‘prosecution accusation outsourcing’ cannot rule out the possibility of manipulation.

We have memories of suffering from the so-called ‘prosecution-media collusion’ allegations last year. In March last year, MBC reported that former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae conspired with Prosecutor Han to extract misconduct facts about Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, from detainees, and the ruling party and Ministry of Justice used the ‘prosecution-media collusion’ frame to gain justification for prosecutorial reform and as a means to attack former Prosecutor General Yoon.

However, the prosecution ultimately failed to establish a conspiracy relationship involving Prosecutor Han, and former reporter Lee was acquitted by the court, leading to counterarguments that the real entity was a ‘jeongeon-yuchak’ or ‘authority-media collusion’ jointly orchestrated by hardcore ruling party supporters, hardline pro-government politicians, and pro-government media.

There was another ‘take it or leave it’ style attack against former Prosecutor General Yoon. In November last year, former Minister Choo held an emergency briefing claiming that former Prosecutor General Yoon ordered illegal surveillance of judges and filed disciplinary charges. However, the judges themselves rejected the agenda for this at the Judges’ Representative Meeting, and disciplinary proceedings against former Prosecutor General Yoon were twice halted by the courts.

Since the presidential race has already begun, the truth must be clarified promptly through inspection and investigation. Even if the investigation results prove the allegations false, the mere fact that inspection and investigation are underway can greatly influence the election. This is why the actions of Han Dong-soo, head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Inspection Department, who is classified as a staunch pro-government figure, are being closely watched.