Park Jumin on Choi Sangmok's Veto of Myeong Taegyun Special Prosecutor Act, "Shamelessness Is Shocking"

"There Were Provisions for Investigating Recognized Crimes in Past Special Prosecutor Acts"
Many Cases of Special Prosecutors Proceeding Even While Prosecution Investigations Were Underway

Park Ju-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, rebutted on the 14th against Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, exercising the right to request reconsideration (veto) regarding the Myeong Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act. Park pointed out, "The audacity to talk about unconstitutionality without even appointing Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court judge is truly shocking."

Through social media (SNS), Park said, "Every time I read each word of the remarks made at the Cabinet meeting, anger wells up," but added, "I will patiently rebut each point one by one."

Yonhap News

Regarding Acting Prime Minister Choi's criticism that the Act violates the constitutional 'principle of clarity' and 'principle of proportionality,' he rebutted, "In the past, special prosecutors were also allowed to investigate crimes that had already been recognized. This case is no different."

On the claim that the suspension of the statute of limitations and the authority to maintain prosecution are unconstitutional, he stated, "During the Sewol ferry disaster, the statute of limitations was also suspended during the investigation committee's activity period," adding, "This is a natural measure to prevent evasion of punishment due to investigation delays."

Regarding the claim that the president's appointment rights were infringed, he said, "This Special Prosecutor Act guarantees the president's preemptive appointment right to the special prosecutor as a mandatory provision," and added, "Although it is an absurd case, it is merely a supplementary clause prepared for the unlikely event that the president does not fulfill this obligation."

In response to the explanation that the investigation is already underway, he said, "There have been countless cases where special prosecutors were introduced even while investigations were ongoing," citing, "Numerous special prosecutors operated concurrently with investigations in cases such as the Park Geun-hye?Choi Soon-sil state corruption scandal, the Druking comment manipulation, and the BBK case."

Regarding the Special Prosecutor Act, Park criticized, "The prosecution secured key evidence in the Myeong Tae-gyun case but did not summon Kim Geon-hee or Yoon Seok-youl for questioning," and added, "They just delayed and transferred the case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office." He continued, "Above all, isn't it the prosecution that buried the case in an investigative department with no prosecutors, causing the statute of limitations for this election law case to expire?" and rebutted, "Given the state of the prosecution's investigation, a special prosecutor is necessary."

Park warned regarding Acting Prime Minister Choi's exercise of the veto, saying, "He must be held accountable for the veto made as a political judgment."