Resignation of Acting Prosecutor General Norman Seok Amid Fallout from Daejang-dong Appeal Withdrawal
Shin Dongwook: "A Parliamentary Investigation Is Needed to Clarify Procedural Issues"
"Difficult to Believe It Was an Independent Decision"... Ministry of Justice Denies Involvement
As internal conflict within the prosecution intensified following the decision to forgo an appeal in the Daejang-dong case, Acting Prosecutor General Norman Seok expressed his intention to resign. In response, Shin Dongwook, a member of the People Power Party, claimed, "This is a predictable scapegoating."
In an interview with YTN Radio's "Kim Junwoo's News Frontline" on the 12th, Assemblyman Shin stated, "I anticipated from the beginning that the situation would unfold in this manner," adding, "Ultimately, by placing the blame on Acting Prosecutor General Seok and moving toward his resignation, it severs the path to the Ministry of Justice and Yongsan."
Assemblyman Shin emphasized, "We need to look at the issue of dropping the appeal in a broader context," and continued, "Since it is difficult to know exactly what happened procedurally, that's why we are calling for a parliamentary investigation or a special prosecutor." He further stated, "It is hard to believe Acting Prosecutor General Seok's claim that none of the three options he himself mentioned-being appointed as Prosecutor General in exchange for dropping the appeal, retaining supplementary investigative powers for the prosecution, and so on-were actually offered," adding, "Since he himself said he 'considered the relationship with the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Justice,' it is not credible that he made the decision independently."
When the host mentioned that the Democratic Party of Korea is demanding a parliamentary investigation to determine whether there were any issues during the investigation process, Shin replied, "If the People Power Party accepts a parliamentary investigation regardless of what the Democratic Party demands, we will go along with it." He continued, "The reason the Democratic Party demanded a special prosecutor for the Chae Marine Corps case was because 'the President was angry.' The structure is the same. If we leave this issue unresolved, eventually there will be either a special prosecutor or a parliamentary investigation." He added, "There may be issues with the details, but the People Power Party is prepared to accept a parliamentary investigation."
Norman Seok, Acting Prosecutor General, who is under pressure to resign after giving up on appealing the Daejang-dong development corruption case, is arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 12th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
On the 12th, Acting Prosecutor General Seok stated his intention to resign, saying he would give a more detailed statement at his retirement ceremony. Regarding the decision to forgo the appeal, he said he "considered the relationship with the Presidential Office in Yongsan or the Ministry of Justice," but effectively claimed that Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jinsu had pressured him. It is reported that during a meeting on the 10th with department heads (senior prosecutors) at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who were demanding accountability, Seok stated that Vice Minister Lee had presented him with the option of dropping the appeal, and that he decided to do so considering the possibility that investigative command authority could be exercised. On the other hand, Vice Minister Lee maintains that he only conveyed the opinion of Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho to "make a careful decision regarding the appeal," and emphasized in his conversation with Acting Prosecutor General Seok that "this is not an exercise of investigative command authority."
On the same day, Minister Jeong stated at the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, in response to the question "Did you give any instructions to Vice Minister Lee?" that "On the 6th, while I was at the National Assembly, I heard there was an opinion from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that there was a need to appeal," and added, "I simply said, 'Since a heavy sentence was handed down, isn't it necessary to consider carefully?' and that was the end of it." When asked whether he had instructed anyone to drop the appeal, he answered, "That is not true," and said, "If I had intended to exercise command, I would have done so in writing." He also emphasized, "There was no discussion whatsoever with the Presidential Office regarding the case."
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