Democratic Party: "Unbelievable... Shaking the Constitutional Court"
Justice Party: "An Act of Destroying the Constitutional Order"
Hangdanyeon: "Endorsing Treason... Must Resign"
Criticism and calls for resignation from opposition parties are mounting against Lee Young-rim (54, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 30), Chuncheon District Prosecutor General, who harshly criticized the Constitutional Court as "worse than Japanese judges under Japanese colonial rule."
Kang Yoo-jung, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a National Assembly briefing on the 13th, "Is it even appropriate to compare An Jung-geun, who sacrificed himself to save the country, with Yoon Seok-yeol, a traitor who declared martial law to ruin the country?" She criticized, "I was shocked to hear that the Constitutional Court, a product of the 1987 democratization movement, is worse than the Japanese imperial court under colonial rule."
Spokesperson Kang added, "No matter how urgent the situation is, there is a line that must be respected. What is the difference between a sitting prosecutor general shouting 'Long live the Emperor' and 'Long live Yoon Seok-yeol'?" She pointed out, "As the Constitutional Court's ruling approaches, is he so desperate that he has resorted to shaking the court itself?"
Kim Yong-man, spokesperson for the Democratic Party’s Myeong Tae-gyun Gate fact-finding team, raised his voice, saying, "Prosecutor General Lee should not use An Jung-geun’s martyrdom as a tool for political debate."
Kim said, "Yoon Seok-yeol is not someone being tried for independence activism," and added, "Equating a traitor who committed treason with an independence activist shows ignorance of history and insults the noble spirit of the independence movement."
He emphasized, "It is a very serious problem that a sitting prosecutor general’s remarks distort facts and incite political controversy," and urged, "Public officials must uphold political neutrality. I hope he makes statements based on accurate facts in front of the people."
The Justice Party’s Gangwon Provincial Party issued a press release the same day condemning, "Distorting the legitimate procedures of the Constitutional Court and disparaging the court is a challenge to the rule of law and an act of destroying the constitutional order."
They continued, "The behavior of disparaging constitutional institutions due to a 'loyalty competition' stemming from working with President Yoon looks like a second Yoon Seok-yeol," and pointed out, "This is not a simple mistake but an intentional disparagement of constitutional institutions."
The Anti-Japanese Independence Patriots Promotion Federation (Hangdanyeon), an organization honoring independence activists, stated in a press release the same day, "An Jung-geun is part of our community’s history of resisting Japanese colonial rule to protect the country’s independence and the lives and property of its members," and declared, "His name cannot be mentioned in comparison with traitors, constitutional destroyers, and criminals who harmed the national community’s well-being."
They added, "(Prosecutor General Lee) is unqualified as a high-ranking public official," and emphasized, "He not only violated political neutrality but also engaged in acts that endorse treason." They called for his immediate resignation.
The day before, Prosecutor General Lee wrote on the prosecution’s internal network 'E-Pros' that "Constitutional Court Justice Moon Hyung-bae dismissed the president’s request for three minutes to speak after the sixth hearing’s witness examination by saying, 'No. Please leave,'" and added, "He is worse than Japanese judges under Japanese colonial rule." He further stirred controversy by saying, "This is like when An Jung-geun was arrested and tried for assassinating Ito Hirobumi."
Prosecutor General Lee, who is from Gangneung, Gangwon Province, was promoted to prosecutor general in September 2023 after President Yoon took office.
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