Special Prosecutor:
"We Are Not Investigating Only a Specific Party...
Other Lawmakers May Be Questioned If Necessary"
Ahn Cheolsoo, a member of the People Power Party, held a press conference on the 29th in front of the National Assembly symbol seat in Yeouido, Seoul, announcing his candidacy for the party leader election and addressing the special investigation on the internal strife case. Photo by Yonhap News
The special investigation team for rebellion (headed by Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok), which is currently investigating allegations that the People Power Party leadership obstructed the National Assembly's resolution to lift martial law, announced that it will not make any additional requests to question Representative Ahn Cheolsoo of the People Power Party.
On the 30th, Special Prosecutor Park Jiyoung stated during a briefing, "Representative Ahn has clearly expressed his intention not to appear," and added, "Other lawmakers will be questioned if necessary."
The special investigation team sent a text message to Representative Ahn the previous day, requesting his attendance as a reference witness. Subsequently, during a press conference announcing his candidacy for party leader, Representative Ahn revealed the special team's request and criticized, "They have lost sight of the essence and become pawns of the administration, trampling on democracy and the rule of law."
The special investigation team explained that it sought to confirm Representative Ahn's willingness to attend because he had previously stated in an interview that "one should cooperate with the special prosecutor's investigation."
Special Prosecutor Park stated, "Last month, Representative Ahn gave a media interview in which he said that people should cooperate with the special prosecutor's investigation," and added, "Whether or not he appears is entirely up to his own decision."
The special investigation team emphasized that the allegations of obstructing the National Assembly's resolution are included in the scope of its investigation and that the investigation will continue. However, it clarified that the questioning is not limited to the People Power Party alone.
Special Prosecutor Park said, "We are not investigating only a specific party," and added, "There are people who were present at the scene, and we do not consider reference witness questioning to be limited to the People Power Party."
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