Choo Mi-ae: "National Prosecutors' Meeting, Yoon Seok-yeol's Display of Power"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] On the 22nd, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae commented on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol convening a meeting of high prosecutors and chief prosecutors nationwide, saying, "I suspect it was an attempt to show off power and make a statement by claiming that ministerial supervision is unjust."

Minister Choo made this remark in response to a question from Park Beom-gye of the Democratic Party of Korea during the government questioning session, asking if she was aware of the progress and outcome of the chief prosecutors' meeting.

Regarding the reason for exercising supervisory authority over the investigation, Minister Choo explained, "It is what can be called a so-called direct connection or a long-standing relationship built at the workplace by the Prosecutor General. Someone in such a relationship is linked to this (media-prosecution collusion) case."

She continued, "(Prosecutor General Yoon) initially tried to recuse himself by convening a meeting of the heads of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and said he would step back," but "he broke that promise, and even though the heads' meeting did not reach such a conclusion, he unilaterally convened the professional investigation advisory panel and did not listen to the investigation team's opinions."

She added, "I repeatedly advised against pushing forward with the advisory panel, but since that advice was ignored and there was a high risk of compromising the neutrality of the investigation, I exercised my supervisory authority."

Regarding the 'Busan meeting conversation recording' between former reporter Lee Dong-jae and Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, Minister Choo said, "As a mere minister and a high-ranking prosecutor like a chief prosecutor, I felt considerable self-disgust hearing such abusive language." She also said, "(That recording) is precisely evidence of collusion."

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