[Comprehensive] Will the 'Special Activity Fund Backlash' Grow... Opposition Party Strikes Back: "Let's Review All Government Special Activity Funds This Time"

Joo Ho-young Floor Leader "Choo Claims Special Activity Funds but Doesn't Provide Data"
Ruling and Opposition Parties Conduct Joint On-Site Investigation on 9th but Fail to Narrow Differences
Ruling Party "Only 10-20% of Prosecutor's Office Data" vs Opposition "Ministry of Justice Special Activity Funds Are Improper"

Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The controversy over the 'Prosecutor's Special Activity Expenses (Special Activity Funds, SAF)' ordered for inspection by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is emerging as a major issue in the National Assembly. Previously, members of the ruling and opposition parties on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee jointly conducted an on-site investigation into the Ministry of Justice and prosecution's SAF expenditures but failed to reach a definitive conclusion. Meanwhile, the opposition party has launched a counterattack, calling for verification of SAF usage across all government agencies.

On the morning of the 10th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, argued at a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly that it is necessary to review the SAFs of government agencies through a special committee.

Floor leader Joo stated, "As Minister Choo mentioned, they say SAFs are spent like pocket money, so there is a need to closely examine and reorganize the numerous SAFs within the government," adding, "We will take a closer look at the Ministry of Justice and prosecution's SAF usage details, but even if it means forming a state audit or special committee, we will do so."

He also criticized, "Minister Choo made claims about SAFs but has not properly provided data for verification, effectively obstructing the verification process. It seems like she is employing a madman strategy," he said.

The SAF controversy first arose on the 5th during a full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee when Minister Choo criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, saying he "spends SAF like petty cash."

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is responding at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 5th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Following that statement, on the next day (the 6th), Minister Choo ordered the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to conduct a swift investigation and report regarding the allocation and execution of Prosecutor General Yoon's SAF. In response, the opposition party countered that the Ministry of Justice's SAF should also be verified.

Accordingly, ruling and opposition members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee conducted an on-site verification of the Ministry of Justice and prosecution's SAF at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the 9th.

However, even after the on-site verification, the ruling and opposition parties failed to narrow their differences. The opposition claimed that "the data submitted by the Ministry of Justice was insufficient," while the ruling party rebutted that "the Supreme Prosecutors' Office data had no informational value."

Jang Je-won, a People Power Party lawmaker, pointed out at a press conference after the verification, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office provided detailed data such as comparisons of total amounts spent over recent years, whereas the Ministry of Justice practically did not submit any data related to SAF execution," adding, "Only data indicating which department received how much was submitted."

On the other hand, Baek Hye-ryun, a Democratic Party lawmaker, countered, "In fact, the supporting documents mentioned by Congressman Kim were clearly present in the Ministry of Justice's data," and said, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office had data, but it was listed by each local office, so it had little value as information."

Kim Do-eup, the secretary of the People Power Party belonging to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and Assemblyman Jo Su-jin are arriving on the 9th at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, for an on-site verification of the prosecution and Ministry of Justice's special activity expenses conducted by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. / Photo by Yonhap News

The ruling and opposition conflict over SAF expenditures continued on the 10th.

Song Ki-heon, a Democratic Party lawmaker, appeared on a radio broadcast that day and pointed out that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office disclosed only about 10-20% of the total SAF data.

Song said, "We have been requesting data since 2018, but the Supreme Prosecutors' Office actually submitted about four months' worth of data from 2020," adding, "It should be considered less than 10-20%. Only a few months' data was provided, and since there are regularly disbursed and irregularly disbursed SAFs, only the regular payment data was provided, making it impossible to verify the irregular SAF disbursements."

On the other hand, Jeon Ju-hye, a People Power Party lawmaker, stated in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' "Minister Choo Mi-ae's suspicion that Prosecutor General Yoon spends SAF like petty cash has been found baseless," and claimed, "Rather, through verification, opposition lawmakers agreed that there were suspicious points in the Ministry of Justice's SAF execution."

She added, "Going forward, the Ministry of Justice plans to pay SAF directly to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and then distribute it to each prosecution office such as the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office," and warned, "If that happens, the problem is that the Ministry of Justice will effectively be directing investigations."

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