"Prosecution Politicalization Issue... No Way to Punish if Prosecution Conceals and Does Not Indict"
President Moon Jae-in is having a special conversation with former JTBC anchor Sohn Suk-hee at the Blue House on the 14th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] President Moon Jae-in expressed his stance on 'Geomsu Wanbak' (complete removal of prosecutorial investigation rights) in his final interview before leaving office.
On the 25th, in the first episode of JTBC's 'Dialogue - Moon Jae-in's 5 Years,' aired on JTBC, Son Seok-hee, JTBC's roving correspondent and the interviewer, asked, "Does limiting the prosecution's investigation rights and focusing on indictment rights mean that there is a problem with prosecutorial investigations?" President Moon replied, "The politicization of the prosecution is the fundamental problem. If the prosecution covers up and does not indict, there is no way to punish."
He added, "Moreover, the prosecution tends to protect its own side to the extent that everyone knows about their mistakes," and said, "The indictment rate for prosecutorial cases is only about 0.1%."
He also stated, "Because of these issues, there needs to be a mechanism to hold the prosecution accountable when they make mistakes," calling it "a democratic check on the prosecution, which is prone to wielding unchecked political power."
In response to the question, "Looking back, the police have also been subject to much public suspicion depending on the case. Is there no concern about the politicization of the police?" President Moon said, "This is a problem that any investigative agency has. However, regarding police misconduct, the prosecution can check through security investigations or direct disciplinary actions, but there is no such mechanism for the prosecution itself. The only mechanism is the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, but its power is weak."
When Son asked, "Is the prosecution always omnipotent?" President Moon replied, "Sometimes, haven't they been omnipotent? I consider this common sense in South Korea," adding, "We try not to interfere politically with the prosecution and grant independence to achieve political neutrality, but history shows that the prosecution has not escaped from being a political prosecution or depoliticized."
Regarding the opposition's claim that 'Geomsu Wanbak' was pushed forward suddenly, he said, "Since this involves intervening in current parliamentary issues, I will refrain from commenting."
Regarding Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon's statement that he would 'definitely block' the Geomsu Wanbak law, President Moon said, "Using expressions like 'definitely block' is inappropriate," and pointed out, "It is possible to say that one does not support the ongoing separation of investigative rights between the police and prosecution or that a more thorough process is needed."
Previously, on the 13th, nominee Han stated, "The passage of this Geomsu Wanbak bill must be blocked."
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