"Yoon Excluded from Opposition's Special Prosecutor Proposal... Should Cooperate if Genuine"
Yun Ho-jung, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 25th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Yoon Ho-jung, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly condemned Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, saying, "While verbally calling for a special prosecutor, he opposes the special prosecutor investigation to uncover the truth about the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations."
On the 6th, Yoon held a press conference at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "The People Power Party, which said 'those who refuse a special prosecutor are the culprits,' is now rejecting the Daejang-dong special prosecutor investigation by making excuses about the investigation targets and procedures."
Yoon explained, "On the 3rd, the Democratic Party proposed a party resolution demanding a special prosecutor investigation into the Daejang-dong development corruption case and related illegal loans, inadequate investigations, and preferential treatment, and also convened a March extraordinary session. Once approved in the plenary session, the special prosecutor investigation will begin according to legal procedures, making it the shortest route to a special prosecutor."
He continued, "However, Candidate Yoon did not agree to the special prosecutor until the last TV debate. The People Power Party said right after the debate, 'We can handle and execute it immediately tomorrow,' but ultimately opposed convening the National Assembly to process the special prosecutor investigation request," criticizing them.
He added, "There is an abundance of testimonies from those involved in Daejang-dong, but the prosecution’s investigation is unusually sluggish. Candidate Yoon is sending signals to the prosecution by setting guidelines for the investigation," he claimed.
He emphasized, "There are numerous testimonies related to Candidate Yoon in the Daejang-dong case, and former People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do has been arrested on charges of receiving a 5 billion won bribe from a Daejang-dong case figure. The special prosecutor law’s investigation targets, as claimed by the People Power Party, exclude Candidate Yoon and People Power Party members."
He pointed out, "What must be clarified first is the connection among Kim Man-bae, Park Young-soo, and Yoon Seok-yeol. A recording containing Yoon Seok-yeol’s own voice revealed that he has been close to former special prosecutor Park Young-soo for over 20 years since his early days as a prosecutor. At this point, it is closer to an unfair deal than an investigation."
He also said, "The permanent special prosecutor law exists to prevent obstruction of special prosecutor investigations by using investigation targets and procedures as excuses, like the People Power Party. If the People Power Party is sincere about uncovering the truth, they should cooperate in processing the special prosecutor investigation request. For truth-seeking, let’s immediately pass the '3-No (無) Special Prosecutor Bill' in the National Assembly without conditions, without sanctuaries, and without delay."
After the press conference, during a Q&A session, Yoon said, "The March extraordinary session of the National Assembly will likely be operable after the presidential election day. We will pass the special prosecutor bill in the plenary session during the extraordinary session."
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