Ye Young-guk, Leader: "Justice Party was cautious about special investigation but evasion and poor investigation appeared... Special investigation inevitable"
"Prosecutors seem to be watching ruling party's mood"
"Neither People Power Party nor Democratic Party qualified to recommend special investigation candidates... External recommendations like Korean Bar Association needed"
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 21st, Yeo Young-guk, leader of the Justice Party, emphasized, "The prosecution's investigation into the Daejang-dong preferential development corruption has lost public trust," and urged, "We call for the introduction of a special prosecutor to investigate the Daejang-dong preferential development allegations and recover criminal proceeds."
On that day, at the executive committee meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning, Leader Yeo said, "Public trust was shaken from the very first step of the forced investigation, the seizure and search of former headquarters chief Yoo Dong-gyu's mobile phone," and added, "Currently, the prosecution's investigation into (Daejang-dong) is not properly clarifying the facts regarding the allegations, and there is suspicion that they might be watching the ruling party's stance."
Leader Yeo pointed out, "They failed to secure the custody of lawyer Nam Wook, a key figure in the case surrounded by suspicions over voluntary return to the country, and the warrant request for Kim Man-bae, the actual owner of Hwacheon Daeyu, was also dismissed." She also stated, "The search and seizure of Seongnam City Hall, which should have been conducted first, was carried out much later despite the Prosecutor General's orders, as confirmed during the National Assembly audit," and criticized, "Moreover, the mayor's office and the secretariat were repeatedly excluded from searches despite criticisms inside and outside the prosecution. The prosecution, which should uncover the allegations, is instead producing more suspicions."
Leader Yeo questioned, "In such a situation, can the public trust any investigation results the prosecution presents?"
She said, "The Justice Party has been reserved about the special prosecutor until now because we expected a thorough investigation by the prosecution and were concerned that the special prosecutor might lead to political disputes," adding, "However, the current situation, where signs of evasive and inadequate investigations by the prosecution are emerging one after another, means the prosecution is bringing about the inevitability of a special prosecutor themselves."
Leader Yeo explained, "The Daejang-dong special prosecutor must be free and fair from any influence," and added, "Candidates for the special prosecutor should be recommended through external recommendations such as from the Korean Bar Association." She stated, "The People Power Party, which has a strong candidate suspected of being an accomplice who shared astronomical unearned income generated from the Daejang-dong preferential development and is suspected of covering up the Busan Savings Bank loan corruption, and the Democratic Party of Korea, to which candidate Lee Jae-myung belongs, who is accused of designing the unearned income profit structure, are currently under criminal suspicion and therefore have no qualification to recommend special prosecutor candidates."
Leader Yeo emphasized, "The Daejang-dong preferential development case involves the ruling party's presidential candidate and the leading presidential candidate of the first opposition party," and added, "Since it is directly related to citizens' voting rights, the truth must be thoroughly and swiftly investigated through a special prosecutor and revealed before the presidential election."
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