Prosecutor An: "Swift Investigation Difficult Even If False Accusation Complaint Is Filed in Detention Cases"
"Majority of Citizens Long for Prosecution's Dismantling Due to Grave Misconduct... I Bow My Head in Apology"
Prosecutor MiHyun An, who exposed external pressure during the 2018 investigation into recruitment irregularities at Kangwon Land. Photo by Yonhap News
Prosecutor An Mihyun of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who exposed allegations of external pressure during the 2018 Kangwon Land investigation, has strongly criticized the Democratic Party's prosecution reform bill, which centers on abolishing the prosecution's "supplementary investigation authority."
On the evening of the 6th, Prosecutor An posted a message titled "I can no longer listen to your voice" on the prosecution's internal network, Epros.
Citing media reports about the prosecution reform plan finalized by the Democratic Party's prosecution reform task force, which calls for the complete abolition of the "supplementary investigation request authority" of prosecutors, An stated, "Prosecutors will no longer be able to directly conduct secondary supplementary investigations, nor will they be able to request supplementary investigations from other investigative agencies. No matter how much a suspect claims to be innocent, there will be nothing more I can do."
She emphasized, "If the police believe the victim's report to be true and arrest and detain the suspect, it will be difficult to quickly proceed with an investigation even if a false accusation complaint is filed."
She added, "If things remain as they are, it will be ordinary citizens?those who are not wealthy, powerful, or famous enough for everyone to know their names?who will end up suffering. Nevertheless, the majority of citizens are supporting such legislative changes as 'prosecution reform.'"
Prosecutor An also apologized for the prosecution's past abuses of authority. She said, "I have never officially apologized for cases that were condemned by the public as instances of prosecutorial misconduct, because I was not directly involved in their investigation or supervision. I thought it was not my fault, and as a member of the prosecution, I considered it reckless to criticize records I had not seen myself, so I closed my eyes, kept my mouth shut, and hid in the background," she reflected.
She continued, "As a member of the prosecution, I publicly apologize to the people for the fact that the majority of citizens now yearn for the dismantling of the prosecution, making prosecution reform the nation's top priority, even at the expense of other important matters."
She further stated, "I bow my head once again and apologize to the people, wondering how grave the prosecution's past wrongdoings must have been for the public to be willing to bear the consequences and even seek not just the dismantling, but the complete destruction of the prosecution."
Prosecutor An also remarked that authority should not be exercised without restraint. She said, "Looking back at history, those who wield authority in an unrestrained manner are inevitably doomed to fall. Arrogant power has collapsed on the sacrifices of the people, ushering in a new era, and I believe this lesson from history does not apply only to the prosecution."
Prosecutor An is known within the prosecution as a "principled prosecutor" for exposing external pressure from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the 2018 investigation into recruitment irregularities at Kangwon Land, in which then-Lawmaker Kwon Seongdong of the Liberty Korea Party was implicated.
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