"Ministry of Justice, Has It Devolved into the President's Wife's Lawyer?"
Ministry of Justice Releases Data Related to Yoon's Veto of Dual Special Prosecutor Law
Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that he is considering filing a complaint for election law violations in response to the Ministry of Justice's release of materials explaining the reasons for requesting reconsideration after President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his veto on the double special prosecution law.
At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 8th, Floor Leader Hong said, "The presidential office and the government exercised the veto as if conducting a military operation regarding the special prosecution law for the allegations of stock manipulation involving First Lady Kim Geon-hee and the special prosecution law to investigate the Daejang-dong 5 billion Club," adding, "The exercise of the veto goes against the will of the people demanding a thorough investigation."
Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
He continued, "The behavior of the Ministry of Justice is even more outrageous," and criticized, "Has the Ministry of Justice fallen to become the personal legal counsel of the President and the First Lady?" He further criticized the Ministry of Justice's explanatory materials on the reasons for requesting reconsideration as "no different from the position of the People Power Party's legal committee, constituting a serious breach of national order and a violation of political neutrality."
He asserted, "Despite evidence emerging of First Lady Kim Geon-hee's involvement in the stock manipulation trial, the Ministry of Justice conclusively states there is 'no clue of a crime,' disparages the exclusion of the ruling party's recommendation rights for the special prosecution and the media briefing clause as a 'deformed structure' and 'violation of democratic principles,' misleading the public with fake news."
In particular, he emphasized, "The Ministry of Justice, with the sophistry that 'an adequate investigation has already been conducted,' is effectively issuing a no-charge decision and acting as the First Lady's legal counsel," adding, "The core issue is that the prosecution is covering up incidents involving the First Lady before her marriage (to President Yoon) after their marriage, which is why a special prosecution is necessary."
Floor Leader Hong criticized, "The Ministry of Justice has abandoned political neutrality as a state institution," and "has degenerated into a partisan tool attempting to cover up the First Lady's criminal allegations and has plunged into political strife." He added, "We will actively consider filing complaints related to election law violations and breaches of political neutrality against the Deputy Minister of Justice and those who released these materials after conducting legal review."
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