Joo Ho-young "Will Submit Request for State Audit... Democratic Party Refusal, Is It Lee Nak-yeon's Lame Duck?" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Lim Chun-han] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, referred to Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae as a "wild horse without reins" and announced that, in cooperation with the People’s Party, they will soon submit a request for a parliamentary investigation into Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol. Regarding the Democratic Party’s apparent reluctance to participate in the investigation, he remarked, "Is this the lame duck phase of leader Lee Nak-yeon?"

On the morning of the 27th, during a floor leader meeting at the National Assembly, Joo said, "If a wild horse without reins enters a field and runs around, it completely ruins the entire year’s harvest." He likened Minister Choo to a "mad horse," following his previous comparison of her to a "madman."

He criticized, "The reckless and theatrical actions of 'Minister Choo Mi-ae’s lawless ministry' are completely destroying the rule of law and the prosecution system in the Republic of Korea," adding, "Although I have detailed the unfairness of the disciplinary request and suspension of Prosecutor General Yoon, even the procedures are filled with illegality and unreasonable measures."

Joo stated, "I thought Minister Choo was employing a madman strategy, but now it’s hard to tell whether it’s a strategy or if she herself is mad," and announced, "A request for a parliamentary investigation into the disruption of the rule of law caused by Minister Choo’s suspension order against Prosecutor General Yoon, jointly proposed by 103 People Power Party members, 3 People’s Party members, and 4 independents, totaling 110 members, will be submitted this morning."

He emphasized, "This incident is an act of destroying the rule of law in Korea caused by Minister Choo’s unilateral illegal supervision, investigation, and personnel decisions regarding Prosecutor General Yoon, so a parliamentary investigation is naturally necessary," and added, "We actively welcome the statement by Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, supporting the investigation, and we hope the Democratic Party will promptly respond so that the investigation can proceed quickly."

After the floor leader meeting, Joo told reporters, "The party leader strongly urged us to consider a parliamentary investigation, but if the party refuses, does that mean the leader is in a lame duck phase?" He continued, "Regardless of the leader’s words, this is a matter of national and public interest and a case of disruption of national order. If the National Assembly does not conduct a parliamentary investigation, then what is it for?"

Regarding the suspicion of "judge surveillance" in the court documents, he said, "Even calling it 'surveillance' is unjustified," explaining, "The official name is 'court analysis materials.' Isn’t it disrespectful to enter without knowing who the judges are? They are exaggerating and inflating it as 'surveillance documents' to provoke the judiciary."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding Yoon Ho-jung, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Joo criticized, "He makes rude remarks toward the opposition party, demanding 'replacement of the floor leader,' and also disparages our party members by saying things like 'when making rumors,'" and demanded, "He should formally apologize for insulting the staff’s dignity, our members’ dignity, and for his overreaching demands such as replacing the judiciary committee floor leader."

On Justice Party leader Kim Jong-cheol’s statement that "the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) must uphold the values of neutrality and independence," Joo said, "I truly welcome and am relieved by this," adding, "We share the same values and have high expectations for the Justice Party’s efforts to ensure that the CIO does not become a 'second Choo Mi-ae special unit.'"

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