Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo: "Investigation by Public Corruption Investigation Office's Lee Sung-yoon Team Will End Justly"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo reportedly said on the 7th that he is "watching with a heavy heart" regarding the situation where the former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team is being investigated by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (Gong-su-cheo) over the 'Lee Sung-yoon indictment leak' case.

According to legal circles, Kim presided over a senior prosecutors' meeting at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the same day and said, "It is cautious to express a position on investigations conducted by other state agencies under court-issued warrants and on the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's inspection investigations, which are granted autonomy under current regulations, as it may be perceived as interfering with investigations and inspections."

He added, "However, regarding the various opinions of the prosecutors about the recent Gong-su-cheo search and seizure of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, these have already been conveyed to the relevant agencies through appropriate channels."

Kim stated, "It will ultimately lead to the right outcome (Sapilgwijeong - everything will return to the right principle)," and added, "Prosecutors should pay more attention to compliance with legal procedures and protection of human rights, and do their best to perform their duties entrusted by the people without wavering, in accordance with the law and principles."

Kim's remarks are interpreted as a response to the former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team posting a statement on the internal prosecutors' network recently, requesting Kim to instruct the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department to announce the results of the fact-finding investigation.

Prosecutors from the former Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team are under investigation by Gong-su-cheo on suspicion of leaking the indictment of Lee Sung-yoon, Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor, who was prosecuted by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office for exerting external pressure in the investigation of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui's illegal travel ban, to the media before the indictment was delivered to the concerned party.

Gong-su-cheo filed the case in May on charges of leaking official secrets and conducted a search and seizure of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Information and Communications Department on the 26th and 29th of last month to secure internal network data related to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team at the time. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department has also been conducting a fact-finding investigation into this case.