Prosecutor Son Junseong's Warrant Rejected... Ruling Party "Regret," Opposition "Counterattack"

Song Young-gil "Did not dispute 'criminal suspicion' in court ruling"
Yoon Seok-yeol "Stopped political manipulation"
Kim Ki-hyun "This case is a public interest report"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The ruling and opposition parties showed mixed reactions over the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HCIC) rejection of the arrest warrant for Prosecutor Son Jun-sung, a key figure in the ‘Gobal Saju’ (accusation instigation) suspicion. The Democratic Party of Korea expressed regret and vowed to continue efforts to uncover the truth related to the accusation instigation. The People Power Party and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl counterattacked, calling it a ‘political plot by the HCIC.’

Son Joon-sung, the Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors' Office and a key figure in the 'whistleblowing solicitation' suspicion during former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's tenure, is attending the warrant hearing held on the 26th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 27th, Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the morning Supreme Council meeting, "The court ruling did not dispute the ‘criminal charges’," drawing a line by stating that the court’s rejection of Prosecutor Son’s pre-arrest warrant does not deny the accusation instigation charges themselves. Song emphasized to the HCIC, "Please conduct a thorough investigation without hesitation." Floor leader Yoon Ho-jung also expressed regret, saying, "There is clear evidence marked ‘Sent by Son Jun-sung’ in the Telegram messages that lawmaker Kim Woong delivered to Cho Seong-eun, yet the warrant was dismissed."

Former Prosecutor General Yoon criticized, "The judiciary has put a stop to the HCIC’s ‘transparent political plot.’" Through social media on the same day, Yoon said, "Whether it’s called the HCIC or the ‘Plot Unit,’ the investigative agency forcibly requested the warrant even though Prosecutor Son promised to appear," adding, "It blatantly revealed a political intention to influence the opposition party’s primary results, which is a clear election interference and political plot."

Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader of the People Power Party, also appeared on KBS Radio in the morning and said, "This case is not an accusation instigation case but a public interest whistleblowing case," criticizing, "Calling a public interest report an accusation instigation is a term I have never heard of in my life."