Lee Nak-yeon "Prosecutorial Power Must Be Exercised Strictly but Also Requires Restraint"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon emphasized on the 12th regarding the direction of prosecutorial reform that "both conflicting demands of strict law enforcement and restrained law enforcement must be met."

On the morning of the same day, Lee appeared on Gwangju Broadcasting's 'Jung Jae-young's Issue In' and stated, "Prosecutorial power must be exercised strictly to establish national legal order, but excessive detention or search and seizure can be human rights violations or restrictions on fundamental rights, so restraint is necessary."

He continued, "Institutionally, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Gong-su-cheo) law, which has been a task since the era of former President Kim Dae-jung, passed the National Assembly and bore fruit after 20 years, and there is still a hurdle of adjusting investigative authority between the prosecution and police."

Lee said, "Prosecutorial reform now means becoming a restrained prosecution that is sometimes checked," adding, "It is a stage of struggling to move in that direction."

Lee, who is scheduled to return to the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding the prospect of running in Jongno, Seoul in the April 15 general election, said, "I have a feeling that such a flow is forming, but I have not yet had specific consultations with the party."

Regarding the possibility of a direct confrontation with Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, he said, "It is not something I can choose," and added, "No matter who the opponent is, I cannot run away. Anyway, it will be decided."

On the possibility of serving as a co-chairman of the election committee and running as a proportional representative, he said, "Wanting to be a proportional representative is greed," and added, "The number of proportional representatives has been greatly reduced due to the revision of the election law, and many good figures have been recruited, so it is right to give those people opportunities."

Meanwhile, regarding Korea-Japan relations, Lee said, "There are some difficulties remaining this year, but overall I think it can improve," and forecasted, "The Tokyo Olympics can be a good turning point for improving Korea-Japan relations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.