Second Oral Arguments Concluded
Verdict Date to Be Announced Later
The final oral arguments for the Constitutional Court impeachment trial of Lee Chang-soo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and two other prosecutors concluded on the 24th. The National Assembly side and the prosecutors continued their dispute over the decision not to indict Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, who is suspected of stock manipulation.
On the same day, the Constitutional Court held the second hearing of the impeachment trial for Chief Prosecutor Lee, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Cho Sang-won, and Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon at the Constitutional Court's Grand Courtroom in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The three prosecutors were impeached on the grounds that they did not properly investigate Mrs. Kim's alleged involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case.
Lee Chang-su, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Cho Sang-won, 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Choi Jae-hoon, Head Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, are attending the first impeachment trial hearing held at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 17th, smiling and conversing. 2025.02.17 Photo by Yoon Dong-joo
During the hearing, the National Assembly conducted direct questioning of the three prosecutors and concluded the oral arguments. The National Assembly requested their suspension from duty, while the respondents, the prosecutors, opposed this, claiming abuse of the impeachment prosecution right. The National Assembly's representative stated, "There was sufficient evidence that Mrs. Kim was involved in the Deutsche Motors case, but without conducting any account seizures or confrontation investigations against her, she was treated as a victim exploited by the stock manipulation perpetrators and was not indicted," adding, "No citizen agreed with this."
He continued, "The National Assembly is not impeaching because Mrs. Kim was not indicted," but "The respondents were impeached because they violated the Constitution and laws." He further stated, "They violated the Prosecutors' Office Act, the Public Officials Act, the Constitution, and the Criminal Act, and breached the public's trust," urging, "By suspending them from duty, please restore the damaged constitutional values and regain public trust in the prosecution."
In response, all three prosecutors unanimously claimed "abuse of the impeachment prosecution right." Chief Prosecutor Lee said, "This case had been unresolved for over four years, with four different chief prosecutors, but I handled it promptly upon my appointment as the Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office," and argued, "The impeachment is a challenge to the case disposition and directly contradicts the principle of separation of powers." He added, "I hope for a swift judgment so that everyone working within the judicial system can work conscientiously according to laws and principles, and so that the rule of law is not undermined by politics."
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Cho stated, "Despite passing through many predecessors during the previous administration, the Deutsche Motors case was not resolved, but we promptly produced results, and we have no hesitation about these results," and argued, "If the National Assembly abuses the impeachment prosecution right according to specific political factions, the damage will fall on the people."
Chief Prosecutor Choi also said tearfully, "If impeachment prosecutions are abused to suspend duties, it will be impossible for prosecutors to carry out their work with conviction. Many prosecutors are intimidated, and it cannot avoid criticism that this is political taming of the prosecution organization."
The Constitutional Court plans to designate and notify the date for the verdict after concluding the approximately 2-hour and 25-minute second hearing on the same day.
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