Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok decided not to attend the hearing on the petition requesting the initiation of impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Seok-yeol, scheduled for the 26th, citing that it is inappropriate for the Prosecutor General to appear before the National Assembly and respond regarding an ongoing investigation, as it could undermine the political neutrality of the prosecution.
Lee pointed out that related laws such as the Petition Act and the Act on the National Assembly Inspection and Investigation stipulate that "matters under investigation or trial procedures" are exceptions to petitions or inspections and investigations by the National Assembly, and demanding such responses from the Prosecutor General exceeds the limits of legislative authority.
On the 23rd, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that Lee submitted a written statement of reasons for not attending the hearing to the National Assembly around 11 a.m. that day.
In a statement released that day, Lee said, "According to the principle of separation of powers, which is the foundation of the Constitution, the prosecution, which performs quasi-judicial functions such as investigation and prosecution of crimes, must guarantee political neutrality and fairness in investigations." He added, "If the Prosecutor General, who oversees prosecution affairs and commands and supervises the officials of the Prosecutors' Office, appears before the National Assembly to testify specifically about matters related to criminal investigations and prosecutions, it would unjustly influence investigations and trials that should be conducted neutrally and fairly, thereby undermining the prosecution's quasi-judicial functions and damaging political neutrality."
He further stated, "The Petition Act stipulates that petitions concerning matters under investigation or trial procedures are exceptions to acceptance and processing, and the Act on the National Assembly Inspection and Investigation also limits the National Assembly's authority by prohibiting the exercise of inspection and investigation powers for the purpose of interfering with ongoing investigations or trials. It also mandates that inspections and investigations should not significantly hinder the functions and activities of the target institution or cause leakage of confidential information."
Lee emphasized, "In respect of the Constitution and laws that uphold the political neutrality of the prosecution, the Prosecutor General has not appeared before the National Assembly except for attending national audits, and the constitutional practice has been established whereby the Minister of Justice, as the highest supervisor of prosecution affairs and a member of the Cabinet, appears before the National Assembly, thereby ensuring the political neutrality of the prosecution."
Regarding the summons from the National Assembly, Lee explained, "The summary of the witness examination attached to the summons requests testimony on whether Mrs. Kim Geon-hee will be summoned during the term, the current status of investigations related to Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, thoughts on personnel changes including the sudden replacement of the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office who is investigating Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, testimony on all face-to-face reports to Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho, who is in charge of handling the receipt of luxury bags related to Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, and whether there has been any external pressure during the prosecution's investigation. It is clear that these pertain to ongoing investigations, and therefore, in accordance with the intent of the aforementioned laws and constitutional practices, it is inappropriate for the Prosecutor General to appear before the National Assembly and respond."
He also stated, "Summoning the Prosecutor General as a witness to the presidential impeachment petition hearing and demanding answers about ongoing investigations exceeds the limits of legislative authority, drags the judiciary into political strife, and undermines the foundation of the rule of law; therefore, the Prosecutor General has decided not to attend."
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