Kim Boo-kyum: "Collusion Between Prosecutors and Media Is a Deep-Rooted Evil... The CIO Must Resolve It"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Kim Hyemin] Former lawmaker Kim Boo-kyum, who is running for the Democratic Party leadership, stated on July 26, "Collusion between prosecutors and the media is a long-standing deep-rooted evil," and added, "If I become party leader, I will ensure the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) within this year so that a thorough investigation can be conducted."

On this day, Kim criticized the decision by the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee to recommend halting the investigation and not indicting Prosecutor Han Donghoon, posting these remarks on his Facebook page.

Kim said, "Considering the contents of the released transcript, a forensic analysis of Prosecutor Han's mobile phone is necessary, but the committee recommended stopping the investigation without even going through that process." He continued, "According to the transcript, Prosecutor Han either supported the reporting direction of a Channel A journalist or encouraged reporting on specific individuals. Such actions are unacceptable for high-ranking officials, especially prosecutors."

He added, "'Collusion between prosecutors and the media' drove former President Roh Moo-hyun to his death. The prosecution indiscriminately dragged even family members into the case through so-called 'leaks' and public shaming to pressure former President Roh." He also argued, "As time has passed, it has become clear that a significant portion of the reports during the investigation into former Justice Minister Cho Kuk were false, and that the investigation was intended to publicly shame the targets and their families."

Kim asserted, "Allegations of collusion must be thoroughly investigated. However, even the Ministry of Justice's order for an inspection is being ignored by the prosecution, citing the internal committee's results, simply because they do not want to be controlled." He continued, "We cannot wait any longer." He pledged, "If I become party leader, I will both prepare measures to enhance the fairness of the investigation review committee and amend the law to launch the CIO within this year. I will ensure that the CIO can investigate collusion between prosecutors and the media fairly and thoroughly. I will not compromise on this issue, not even a little."

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