Joo Ho-young: "Yoon Mi-hyang Should Resign as Lawmaker... Would the Opposition Have Prosecuted Without Detention?"

Yoon Mi-hyang, National Assembly Ethics Committee Submission Under Review
Urges Chu Mi-ae to "Make a Decision Before It's Too Late"
"Cannot Blindly Approve the 4th Supplementary Budget"

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 15th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, commented on the prosecution’s decision to indict Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, without detention on charges of fraud and breach of trust, stating, “It is appropriate for (Yoon) herself to promptly resign from her position as a lawmaker, and we are considering referring this issue to the National Assembly Ethics Committee.”

At the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Joo said, “The Democratic Party leadership must take measures to either force Yoon to resign or expel her, as she cannot maintain her position as a lawmaker based solely on the charges brought against her, so that the public can accept it.”

He pointed out, “The indictment has revealed the full extent of how Yoon operated and conducted business during her time at the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon). She even solicited donations from elderly dementia patients, and there are as many as seven to eight charges in the indictment. Despite this, we cannot readily accept this investigation because almost all important aspects were excluded.”

He continued, “Regarding the core allegations that have come to light, there has been no disclosure; it was a half-hearted, superficial investigation. We can only conclude that the prosecution conducted a lenient investigation while pretending to investigate. If this were an ordinary person, an arrest warrant would have been requested. Of course, since the National Assembly is in session, there is the issue of obtaining consent for arrest, but would the prosecution have indicted without detention if the accused were an opposition lawmaker under these circumstances?”

Regarding the preferential treatment allegations involving Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s son, Floor Leader Joo said, “(President Moon Jae-in) said he would provide communication subsidies ahead of Chuseok as a small consolation to the people, but what the people really want to hear is that the country is functioning properly and that justice is being realized.” He added, “I hope Minister Choo will have the courage to make a prompt decision and not fight against the entire nation any longer.”

Addressing Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, Floor Leader Joo criticized, “I was going to refrain from speaking since Lee was recently inaugurated, but I felt disappointed when I saw him give guidelines for the investigation of Minister Choo and defend her as if she were innocent.”

Regarding the 4th supplementary budget, Floor Leader Joo said, “The Democratic Party is asking for the supplementary budget to be passed by the day after tomorrow. The review of the supplementary budget has not even started yet, so how can it be passed in two or three days? It’s an unreasonable request.” He added, “We have no reason to delay the budget review, but we cannot just close our eyes and pass it as is.”

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