Yoon's Single Remark Sparks Criticism from Ruling Party Mentioning 'Sacred and Inviolable'... Opposition Demands 'Choo Mi-ae's Resignation'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The ruling party strongly criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's responses during the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's national audit, saying they revealed a dangerous perception that views the prosecution as a sacrosanct power institution and disregards the fundamental principles of democracy. Meanwhile, the opposition emphasized the push for a special prosecutor law regarding the Lime and Optimus cases and demanded the resignation of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.

On the morning of the 23rd, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, targeted Yoon's remark that "the Prosecutor General is not a subordinate of the Minister of Justice" during the Supreme Council meeting, stating, "It is tantamount to an unelected power declaring that it will not be controlled by anyone," directly criticizing him. He added, "Yoon's claim that the Minister of Justice's exercise of investigative control was illegal and unjust denies the president's judgment that the exercise of investigative control was inevitable and reveals a dangerous perception that ignores the fundamental democratic principle that the people's representatives control the executive branch."

Lee said, "The Prosecutor General's remarks and attitude ironically reveal why and how difficult prosecutorial reform is and what conduct public officials should maintain, thereby proving the legitimacy and urgency of establishing the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO)," and added, "The deadline for the recommendation committee we requested from the opposition is now three days away. The Legislation and Judiciary Committee should prepare to proceed with the legislative process smoothly thereafter." This reiterated the necessity of the CIO.

Kim Tae-nyeon, the Democratic Party's floor leader, also said, "The Prosecutor General's perception of the prosecution as a sanctified and inviolable institution is worrisome," and sharply criticized, "The Prosecutor General does not properly understand the fundamental democratic principle of democratic control over power institutions."

Kim continued, "The People Power Party is advocating for the introduction of a special prosecutor regarding the Lime and Optimus financial frauds, but it is becoming clear that these are not power-type gate scandals as the opposition claims," adding, "It is contradictory to reject the permanent special prosecutor system, namely the CIO, while demanding a larger special prosecutor to investigate a single financial fraud case."

In response, the opposition demanded Justice Minister Choo's resignation. On the morning of the same day, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, mentioned the resignation of Park Soon-chul, head of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, who was responsible for investigating the 'Lime scandal,' saying, "It is not Park but Minister Choo who should resign," and added, "Since she has already done much to destroy the prosecution and protect the regime, it would be better if she were satisfied and stepped down."

Although the final agreement was not reached during the meeting between the ruling and opposition floor leaders the previous day, Joo expressed his intention not to give up on the special prosecutor. After the meeting, he told reporters, "We cannot avoid the special prosecutor," and said, "We are exploring various options, but ultimately, it will be realized when public criticism intensifies with questions like 'What are you afraid of that you won't have a special prosecutor?'"

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