Yoon Seok-yeol's Bold Remarks... "Welcome Back" vs "Should Have Mentioned Restraint"

Yoon Seok-yeol "Must Reject Dictatorship Disguised as Democracy"
Ruling Coalition "Uncontrolled Prosecution Organization Is Totalitarianism Itself"
United Party "Will Walk Together to Remove the Darkness of Democracy"

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is speaking at the new prosecutors' registration ceremony held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol broke his silence after 40 days, stating, "We must reject dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy," as the ruling and opposition parties showed mixed reactions.

On the 3rd, at the new prosecutor registration ceremony held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "We must not overlook corruption and power-related misconduct but confront them boldly," adding, "We must remember that all citizens are potential stakeholders and victims of corruption and power-related misconduct, and exercise the law enforcement authority entrusted by the people strictly."

Yoon emphasized, "Although laws are enacted based on the principles of representation and majority rule, once enacted, laws must be applied and enforced equally to everyone," and "The core value of the Constitution, liberal democracy, does not ignore equality and emphasize only freedom. It is true democracy that rejects dictatorship and totalitarianism disguised as democracy."

He continued, "Detention makes it extremely difficult for suspects to exercise their right to defense, so it must be absolutely restrained. Investigations should be regarded as preparation for prosecution and trial," and urged, "Do not ask how the state and the prosecution organization will guarantee your status and future, but constantly ask yourselves how you will work for the people and the country."

The ruling and opposition parties showed mixed reactions to Prosecutor General Yoon's remarks. The United Future Party welcomed them, while the Blue House and the Democratic Party of Korea did not issue an official statement. Voices of criticism emerged from the pro-government camp.

Hwang Un-ha, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former police officer, said in a phone interview with JoongAng Ilbo, "It is not right to assign meaning to every sentence of Prosecutor General Yoon's remarks. Eradicating corruption is something a prosecutor general can certainly say, but if the prosecution conducts excessive investigations or abuses its power, that is a problem," while also pointing out, "Just because the investigation target is the Blue House, it does not mean excessive investigations are allowed. The prosecutor should have mentioned restraint and balance."

Hwang Hee-seok, a Supreme Council member of the Open Democratic Party, also criticized Prosecutor General Yoon in a Facebook post titled "Dictatorship and Totalitarianism" on the same day.

Hwang said, "The prosecution monopolizes investigative and prosecutorial powers as a weapon, selectively investigating based on political interests, fabricating or conspiring to investigate what they do not want to, and hiding what should be investigated in cabinets with various excuses. They build an impregnable fortress under the banner of 'prosecutorial independence,' which is nowhere to be found in the Constitution or laws, and act as they please. This is dictatorship, and such an omnipotent, uncontrolled prosecution organization is totalitarianism itself."

He added, "It would be good to give examples of where else in the world such a prosecution exists besides us. Probably only Kazakhstan."

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is speaking at the new prosecutors' registration ceremony held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, the United Future Party praised, "We welcome the return of Yoon Seok-yeol, the swordsman who does not serve any person."

Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the United Future Party, said in a statement, "It can be interpreted as a will to create a prosecution for the people, not a lapdog of the regime. For Prosecutor General Yoon's will to be sincere, investigations that had been silenced before powerful figures such as Cho Kuk, Song Cheol-ho, Yoon Mi-hyang, Lime, and Optimus must be revived and reawakened," emphasizing, "We will also help dispel the darkness of an era where the obvious principles and common sense of democracy sound refreshing."

Kim Do-eup, a United Future Party lawmaker, also said, "Looking at recent prosecution situations, I believe some prosecutors have been completely dominated to suit the regime's tastes," adding, "I think democracy is collapsing without us realizing it, disguised under the guise of democracy, and Prosecutor General Yoon must have had the same concern."

Additionally, former Dongyang University professor Jin Jung-kwon said, "Wow, strong. Seems decisive," and "This one sentence contains the social situation under the Democratic Party's rule."

Jin criticized, "They talk about 'democratic control' over the prosecution instead of prosecutorial autonomy and independence. Their problem is contained in this expression," and "They claim they are 'democracy,' not 'power.' Controlling the prosecution with their power to make it a pet dog to themselves and an attack dog to their opponents suddenly becomes democracy, and prosecutorial independence and autonomy must be eliminated as evils."

He added, "The essence of prosecutorial reform is to create a system where collusion with power is impossible regardless of who holds power, but their reform is different. Since they are 'democracy,' not power, the essence of reform is to tame the prosecution to obey them," concluding, "The Prosecutor General must trust only the people and complete investigations into power-related corruption."

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