Prosecutor General Lee Chang-su, 4th Deputy Cho Sang-won, and Anti-Corruption Division Chief Choi Jae-hoon Oppose Opposition's Impeachment Push
On the 27th, 33 senior prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office posted a statement titled "Position of Senior Prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Regarding the Impeachment Motion Against the Head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office" on the internal prosecution network, E-Pros.
One day after holding a senior prosecutors' meeting the previous day to discuss response measures, all senior prosecutors holding official positions, except those pushing for impeachment, jointly issued the statement under their own names.
They stated, "Impeachment should only be carried out in extremely exceptional cases where a high-ranking public official commits a serious constitutional or legal violation in the course of duty, which is the fundamental spirit and value of the Constitution," and argued, "The impeachment attempt by the Democratic Party against prosecutors without constitutional or legal violations undermines the basic values of the Constitution and is an unconstitutional and illegal attempt that nullifies the rule of law, paralyzes the internal command system of the prosecution, and directly infringes on its essential functions."
They also criticized, "The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is the largest prosecution office in the country where decisions on major cases are made daily," adding, "If the prosecution's functions are threatened, numerous investigations and trials will be delayed, causing gaps in the criminal justice system and ultimately increasing inconvenience to the public." They emphasized, "Forcing the impeachment process despite the clear prediction that the operation of state institutions will be paralyzed and essential functions will be infringed upon is a disregard of the constitutional spirit of the separation of powers and must be stopped immediately."
Earlier, on the 21st, Cho Sang-won, the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and a party involved, told reporters, "Pursuing impeachment simply because the conclusion is unsatisfactory is a clear abuse of the National Assembly's impeachment authority." The day before, the leadership of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office?1st Deputy Chief Prosecutor Park Seung-hwan, 2nd Deputy Chief Prosecutor Gong Bong-suk, and 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-sik?also issued a statement saying, "The unconstitutional and abusive impeachment attempts against prosecutors must be stopped."
The impeachment motion against Choi Jae-hoon, Head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2, who dismissed the allegations of stock price manipulation involving Kim Geon-hee, and the chain of command including Deputy Chief Cho and Chief Lee, is scheduled to be reported to the National Assembly plenary session on the 2nd of next month. The vote on this matter will take place on the 4th of next month.
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