Kim Do-eup: "United Party to Invite Yoon Seok-yeol for Opinions... Will Hold Legislation and Judiciary Committee Meeting"

Kim Do-eup, member of the United Future Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] Amid ongoing conflicts between Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol over the 'prosecutor-media collusion' allegations, Kim Do-eup, a member of the Future United Party, stated, "We will convene the Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Law Committee) and demand Prosecutor General Yoon's attendance."

On the 8th, Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and said, "There is a need for a fact-finding investigation at the Law Committee level regarding Minister Choo's stripping of Prosecutor General Yoon's authority."

Kim criticized, "Minister Choo gave Prosecutor General Yoon a final ultimatum to accept investigation command by saying she would wait one more day until 10 a.m. on the 9th. Minister Choo should act as a shield to allow the prosecution to investigate with conviction, but instead, she is shaking and paralyzing the entire prosecution by even stripping Yoon's command authority."

He added, "Chief prosecutors nationwide have expressed opinions that the introduction of an independent special prosecutor is necessary for a fair and strict investigation, and that excluding the Prosecutor General from supervision under the Minister of Justice's investigation command is effectively suspending the Prosecutor General's duties, which is illegal or unjust. Nevertheless, Minister Choo has effectively ignored the chief prosecutors' opinions," he pointed out.

Kim said, "The United Party requested the convening of the Law Committee from Baek Hye-ryun, the Democratic Party's floor leader, to hear Prosecutor General Yoon's position regarding Minister Choo's abuse of command authority and attempt to strip the Prosecutor General's powers. However, Representative Baek opposed convening the Law Committee, arguing that it would politicize the issue and undermine political neutrality."

He continued, "Regarding the unprecedented conflict between the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General, it is more desirable to resolve the issue by calling Prosecutor General Yoon to the Law Committee to hear his position directly and examine the facts."

He announced, "United Party members of the Law Committee plan to convene the Law Committee at 10 a.m. on July 10 and demand Prosecutor General Yoon's attendance."

Earlier, Minister Choo issued a final ultimatum to Prosecutor General Yoon through the spokesperson's office that morning, demanding a response by 10 a.m. the next day on whether he would accept the investigation command authority.

In response, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated on the same day, "The Prosecutor General respects the Minister of Justice's command and has considered opinions both inside and outside the prosecution," adding, "We proposed to the Minister of Justice to form an 'independent investigation headquarters' that would investigate fairly and strictly without being under the Prosecutor General's command, reporting only the investigation results to the Prosecutor General."

However, the Ministry of Justice immediately issued a statement rejecting Prosecutor General Yoon's proposal. The Ministry stated that afternoon, "The Prosecutor General's proposal effectively includes replacing or changing the investigation team, so it cannot be seen as complying with the Minister's instructions as written."

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