Ha Taekyung: "Choo Makes Another Misstep... Only Helping Yoon Seokyoul Grow Stronger"

"Not a 'Prosecution-Gate,' but a 'Choo Mi Ae-Gate'"

On the morning of the 15th, at Gyeryongdae in Chungnam, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning during the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit of the Air Force Headquarters. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy, reporter Kim Gayoun] Ha Taekyung, a member of the People Power Party, strongly criticized Minister of Justice Choo Mi Ae's exercise of her authority to direct investigations, stating, "It feels like Minister Choo is making another misstep. She is only helping Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyoul grow stronger."

In an interview on TBS Radio's "Kim Eojun's News Factory" on October 20, Ha said, "Minister Choo's attempt to attack Prosecutor General Yoon over the case involving Kim Bonghyun, the former chairman of Star Mobility, does not seem natural. It reeks too much of emotional retaliation."

Ha further argued, "From my perspective, this is not a 'prosecution-gate' but rather a 'Choo Mi Ae-gate.' It seems that Minister Choo continues to see Prosecutor General Yoon as a competitor. Prosecutor General Yoon consistently has higher approval ratings than Minister Choo. It appears that Minister Choo is trying to establish her own political standing through this."

Regarding the credibility of the prison letter claims made by former chairman Kim, Ha stated, "The letter came first, and the court testimony followed. In court, there is significant pressure because perjury is punishable, but it is possible to lie in a letter. If the letter says 'Kang Gijeong is not at fault,' but the court testimony says 'there is a problem,' the public can easily judge which carries more weight."

On the suspicions involving Prosecutor General Yoon's family, Ha said, "All of these issues were already raised during the confirmation hearing, and at that time, the Democratic Party defended them as not problematic. The Democratic Party is essentially hurting itself. There may be no problems concerning Prosecutor General Yoon, but in the process, innocent people may be wronged, and in the end, only the Prosecutor General will benefit and grow stronger."

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is arriving at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

Ha stated, "Minister Choo is engaging in emotional retaliation, and Prosecutor General Yoon is currently almost powerless, so I believe there is room for compromise between the ruling and opposition parties," urging the introduction of a special prosecutor and the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).

He continued, "Just as the prosecution takes over investigations after the special prosecutor's term ends, I hope our party can agree with the ruling party to proceed with a special prosecutor's investigation and have any unresolved matters handed over to the CIO. The special prosecutor and the CIO should not be set up in opposition to each other."

Previously, on October 19, Minister Choo exercised her authority to direct investigations targeting Prosecutor General Yoon.

According to the legal community, Minister Choo exercised her authority to direct investigations into allegations of lobbying involving prosecutors and opposition politicians related to the Lime case, suspicions of illegal sponsorship money received by Covana, a content company operated by Yoon's wife Kim Keonhee, allegations of stock price manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, and suspicions of a cover-up in the bribery case of the former head of the Yongsan Tax Office-all of which are currently raised allegations involving Prosecutor General Yoon's family.

Immediately after Minister Choo exercised her authority to direct investigations, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated, "We hope the investigation team will bring justice to the fraudsters and wipe away the tears of the victims," indicating its acceptance of the directive.

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