Democratic Party 'Reserves' Position on Yoon Mee-hyang Controversy... Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook Launches Fierce Attack on Coercive Investigation

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung, Won Dara] The Democratic Party reaffirmed its position that "fact-checking comes first" regarding the allegations surrounding elected representative Yoon Mi-hyang. Contrary to expectations that a certain decision would be made, the party maintained a reserved stance. Instead, it strongly raised suspicions about the prosecution's coercive investigation into the bribery case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook.

Kang Hoon-sik, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, said in a briefing after the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 20th, "Regarding the allegations of accounting fraud at the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeondae), the party's position is that fact-checking comes first."

He added, "The Democratic Party will comprehensively judge after reviewing the results of the external audit requested by Jeonguiyeondae and audits by institutions such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and then announce its position."

Spokesperson Kang also said, "In our view, this situation is quite different from the one during former Minister Cho Kuk's time," adding, "Although some reports make it seem like there is controversy within the party, that is not the case at all. There is no major controversy or many disagreements." The party intends to thoroughly verify the facts, resolve misunderstandings if any, and hold accountable what cannot be resolved.

Party leader Lee Hae-chan and floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon did not make any particular statements. However, Kim Hae-young, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "More and more citizens are taking the allegations against elected representative Yoon Mi-hyang seriously," adding, "The party should not just wait for the prosecution's investigation but should promptly ascertain the truth and take appropriate measures."

The leadership raised the issue of uncovering the truth about former Prime Minister Han's case. Floor leader Kim said at the Supreme Council meeting that day, "The truth about former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's case is being revealed after 10 years," and urged, "We demand the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution to immediately embark on the path of revealing the truth, putting the honor of their departments and institutions on the line."

The recent report of a memorandum left by the late Han Man-ho, who testified that he gave bribes to former Prime Minister Han, while in prison, triggered this. The memorandum contains content stating that "due to intensive coaxing by the prosecution, false testimony was given and later retracted," causing controversy.

Floor leader Kim emphasized, "The memorandum details how the prosecution forced and intimidated false testimony at the time. Han Man-ho was summoned by the prosecution 73 times, but interrogation records were made only 5 times," adding, "How desperate must Han Man-ho have been to confess in the memorandum that he was a dog of the prosecution?"

This defines former Prime Minister Han as a victim of the prosecution's coercive investigation and judicial manipulation. Supreme Council member Park Joo-min also said, "The so-called Han Myeong-sook case repeatedly appears in the 2018 judicial manipulation documents," adding, "Questions surrounding Han Man-ho's memorandum are related to long-standing prosecution reform tasks. We need to examine this calmly."

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who appeared before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee that day, responded to questions about former Prime Minister Han by saying, "The public knows there were problems with the prosecution's past investigation practices," adding, "I understand that the memorandum contains content about repeatedly summoning and intimidating witnesses during their imprisonment. Although past cases have been thoroughly reviewed, there is no guarantee such things will not happen again, so we must look at this as if looking into a mirror."

Cho Jae-yeon, head of the Court Administration Office, said, "I do not know about specific cases but speaking generally," adding, "Raising suspicions cannot be evidence, and it is concerning that it might be perceived as a problem with the trial. If someone is wronged, the law stipulates that they can apply for a retrial."

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