Ministry of Justice Maintains Non-Disclosure of Indictment in 'Cheongwadae Election Interference' Case, Citing "Court's Exclusive Authority"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] On the 5th, the Ministry of Justice stated regarding the failure to submit the indictment of the Blue House's ordered investigation and election interference case to the National Assembly, "The indictment is a document in litigation procedures, and whether it is disclosed falls under the court's exclusive authority."

The Ministry of Justice released an explanatory document on the same day, stating, "The Court Administration Office has maintained the position that, despite the National Assembly's request for document submission, it is difficult to submit the documents other than delivering copies to the defendant and their lawyers due to being litigation procedure documents, and it is necessary to respect this position of the court."

The Ministry of Justice maintained the stance that the National Assembly's document submission request procedure and the public disclosure of indictments through media reports are 'wrong practices.' Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae also expressed the same position when meeting with reporters while arriving at the Government Complex Gwacheon on the same day.

The Ministry of Justice argued, "Respecting the National Assembly's authority to request documents, we have submitted the full text of the indictment requested by the National Assembly, including the case of former Minister Cho Kuk, after anonymizing it. However, regrettably, the full text of the indictment submitted to the lawmakers' offices has repeatedly been disclosed unfiltered through the media immediately afterward," adding, "This is a wrong practice that infringes on the public's right to a fair trial and violates individual honor and privacy, and it must be corrected."

Meanwhile, the Liberty Korea Party applied for inspection and copying of the indictment at the Seoul Central District Court, where defendants including Song Cheol-ho (71), Mayor of Ulsan, were indicted, in the capacity of complainants on the morning of the same day.

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