Sim Woo-jung, Moon's Investigation: "The Prosecution Is Proceeding According to Law and Principles"

Prosecutor's Office Abolition Claim "Do Not Agree at All... Investigation Under Judicial Control"

Prosecutor General nominee Shim Woo-jung stated on the 3rd that the prosecution's investigation targeting former President Moon Jae-in is currently being conducted "entirely in accordance with the law and principles."

At the National Assembly confirmation hearing that day, when Lee Sung-yoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said regarding the investigation into alleged hiring favors involving former President Moon's ex-son-in-law, "Who trusts such prosecutors? At this point, the prosecution should be completely abolished," Shim responded accordingly. He added, "The investigation is being carried out under judicial control by the court and based on warrants." However, when asked by Lee whether he thought the investigation was fair, Shim refrained from commenting, saying, "I have not been accurately briefed on the specific details of the case."

Sim Woo-jung, nominee for Prosecutor General, is answering questions at the confirmation hearing held on the 3rd at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Regarding Lee's criticism that the prosecution seized former President Moon's grandson's iPad, which was unrelated to the case, and investigated the ex-son-in-law's elderly mother in a 'stalking-like' manner, Shim said, "I understand that the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office has issued a statement denying these facts."

When Lee asked about his stance on the 'abolition of the prosecution,' Shim said, "I do not agree at all," and added, "The prosecution is currently conducting all investigations in accordance with the law and principles, and the ongoing investigations are under judicial control and carried out based on warrants."

Regarding his refusal to approve the suspension order of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's duties in 2020 when he was the Planning and Coordination Office Director at the Ministry of Justice, Shim said, "At that time, I believed the disciplinary procedure as a whole violated due process, and the grounds for discipline were unclear and unfounded."

On the question from Democratic Party member Jeon Hyun-hee about the luxury handbag incident involving First Lady Kim Geon-hee, asking whether it was appropriate for the prosecution to dismiss the case citing no job-relatedness and no realization of solicitation, Shim said, "I do not know if the Central District Prosecutors' Office made that decision," and "A decision of no charges has not yet been made."

Regarding an additional question about whether the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the relevant department for the solicitation made by Pastor Choi Jae-young, is part of the president's duties, Shim said, "The president oversees all state affairs," but added that it was difficult to express an opinion on the specific case.

He said, "The investigation review committee for the (First Lady Kim's case) will be held in three days, and some external civilian members watching this broadcast may be present," and asked for understanding, saying, "Please understand that I find it difficult to comment on matters where I could have even a slight influence."