Kim Minseok: "The Truth Must Be Clearly Revealed"
Prime Minister Kim Minseok stated on the 16th that if the allegations are true that Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Huidae met with former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo and others immediately after the Constitutional Court's decision to remove former President Yoon Sukyeol from office and made remarks implying that "the Lee Jaemyung case will be handled by the Supreme Court," it would "damage public trust in the judiciary."
Prime Minister Kim Minseok is moving to respond to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Bae Junyoung during the plenary session of the National Assembly held on the 16th regarding diplomacy, unification, and security. Photo by Yonhap News
During a government questioning session on diplomacy, unification, and security held at the National Assembly on this day, Prime Minister Kim responded to a related question from Democratic Party lawmaker Boo Seungchan by saying, "It would be best if the truth is clearly revealed," expressing the above view.
Lawmaker Boo stated, "There was a report that after the Constitutional Court's decision to remove the president, around April 7, Han Ducksoo (former Prime Minister), Jeong Sangmyeong (former Prosecutor General), Kim Chungsik (an associate of Choi Eunsun, the mother of Kim Keonhee), and Chief Justice Cho met. It is said that at this meeting, Chief Justice Cho remarked, 'If the Lee Jaemyung case reaches the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court will handle it as it sees fit.'"
Lawmaker Boo emphasized, "If this report is true, it is not only a case where the Chief Justice himself undermined the independence of the judiciary and the fairness of trials, but also an unprecedented incident in which he condoned insurrection and intervened in the presidential election with the intention of transferring power to former Prime Minister Han. I believe an investigation must be conducted."
In response, Prime Minister Kim said, "If this is true, it would be a tremendous shock not only to me but to the entire nation, and it would cause a serious wound to public trust in the judiciary. Therefore, the truth must be clearly revealed."
Regarding lawmaker Boo's question, "Do you think the investigation into the 12·3 insurrection is proceeding well?" Prime Minister Kim replied, "I understand that there has been considerable progress in the process led by the special prosecutor, which is why the investigation period has been extended. From the public's perspective, I hope that the results will be thorough and fully reveal the truth."
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