[Summary] "If It Were Me, I Would Have Resigned Already" Seol Hoon, Ruling Party Supreme Council Member, Pressures Yoon Seok-yeol to Step Down

Seolhun "Conflict with Minister Must Be Settled"... Party Leadership Publicly Demands for First Time
Kim Yongmin "Prosecutor General's Office Cover-Up of Inspection Case Abusing Command Authority"
Choi Kangwook "Prosecutor General Yoon Will Stall and Make Excuses, but It's Already Spilled Water"
United Party "Why Shake Prosecutor General with Remaining Term?"

Seol Hoon, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The conflict between the ruling party and the prosecution is escalating over the prosecution's investigation into allegations of perjury coaching in the bribery case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook. A senior member of the ruling party openly mentioned the issue of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's position. This is the first time the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea has directly addressed Yoon's position.

On the 19th, after the Supreme Council meeting, Seol Hoon, a senior member of the Democratic Party, told reporters, "It's not just a day or two; how long has it been since Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and he have been at odds? In such a situation, can the administration function properly?" He added, "Anyone with a responsible attitude, if it were me, would resign."

Seol also said, "Regardless of the (Prosecutor General's) term guarantee, if conflicts like this arise with the Minister of Justice, stepping down is the best course of action."

In an interview with YTN Radio's 'Noh Young-hee's Start of a New Morning' on the same day, Seol criticized, "It might be an exaggeration to say that Prosecutor General Yoon is in a hostile relationship with the government, but it is a well-known fact that they have been at odds. I thought he was being more cautious due to the mother-in-law case, but now he is again clashing with the Minister, which is wrong." He also emphasized, "The conflict with the Minister of Justice must be resolved soon."

Following Seol, other Democratic Party leaders also criticized Prosecutor General Yoon. Park Joo-min, a senior member of the Democratic Party, claimed at the meeting that "the reassignment of this case undermines the independence of the Inspection Department."

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General
Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Yong-min, a member of the same party, pointed out in a post on his Facebook, "Assigning the inspection case to the Human Rights Supervisor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, an unofficial body without legal grounds, is an abuse of command authority and an attempt by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to cover up the inspection."

He added, "This is not a conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution, but the core issue is that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office violated the law and disobeyed the legitimate orders of the Minister of Justice," and argued, "An investigation and appropriate measures regarding the cover-up of the inspection are necessary."

The Open Democratic Party, a pro-government party, also criticized the prosecution. Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, wrote on his Facebook, "The Minister confirmed the obstruction of the inspection and ordered the case to be returned to its original place," emphasizing, "Prosecutor General Yoon will try to delay and resist, but the water has already been spilled."

Hwang Hee-seok, a senior member of the Open Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook on the 19th, "Isn't there an overlap between the period when the perjury coaching conspiracy against Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook occurred and the time when Yoon Seok-yeol worked at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Department?"

Meanwhile, as criticism of Prosecutor General Yoon continues within the ruling party and calls for his resignation effectively arise, the United Future Party criticized, "Why is the ruling party, which forcibly formed the original organization while shouting 'according to the law,' shaking the Prosecutor General whose term is set at two years by the Prosecutors' Office Act?"

On the same day, Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the United Future Party, pointed out in a verbal statement, "The public is curious about what will happen to the Cho Kuk scandal, the allegations of accounting fraud in the Justice Memory Foundation, and the Ulsan mayoral election interference if Prosecutor General Yoon resigns."

Hong Moon-pyo, a member of the same party, who appeared on YTN Radio alongside Seol Hoon, criticized Seol, saying, "It would be better if Minister Choo were the Prosecutor General and Yoon were the Minister. Restricting the role of the Prosecutor General is unacceptable."

Hong raised his voice, saying, "The Prosecutor General is appointed by the President. If the Minister sits in the position and keeps saying 'do this, do that,' how can the prosecution of the Republic of Korea work?"

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