Kim Tae-nyeon: "Is protecting Yoon even if illegal the principle of prosecutor unity... Prosecution organizational culture must also be reformed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out on the 1st regarding the reactions of frontline prosecutors to the suspicion of ‘judge surveillance’ by Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, “If the principle of prosecutors being one body means that they must protect the Prosecutor General even if it is illegal, then the organizational culture of the prosecution must also be reformed on this occasion.”

At the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Floor Leader Kim said, “Despite the clear illegal surveillance acts, the behavior of prosecutors who take collective action to protect the Prosecutor General is another form of prosecutorial selfishness to maintain privileges.”

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He stated, “Remaining silent and only defending Prosecutor General Yoon, who has entered the heart of the political arena and is causing the neutrality of the prosecution to be compromised, only encourages the politicization of the prosecution,” and added, “The claim by Yoon’s side that the Prosecutor General, who is investigating regime corruption, is being falsely accused and driven out is nothing but a political sophism to cover up illegal acts.”

He continued, “Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk was appointed in 2019, so how can investigating a volunteer activity certificate received by his child 7 or 8 years earlier be considered an investigation against regime corruption?” and emphasized, “I urge frontline prosecutors to reflect on themselves and exercise restraint, keeping in mind the great cause of prosecutorial reform and to be reborn as a democratic prosecution for the people.”

Regarding next year’s budget bill, he said, “No matter what happens, we will finish it by tomorrow.” Floor Leader Kim stated, “With the third wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the lives of the people are becoming even more difficult,” and added, “Legislation and budgeting for the early overcoming of COVID-19 should not end up as a remedy after the fact due to futile debates.”

He further said, “We will complete the budget review by midnight today. The budget must be processed within the legal deadline so that the government can plan the implementation by the end of the year and execute it from the new year,” and “Local governments can also finalize their budget and prepare for execution only after the central government’s budget bill is passed. I ask the opposition party to join us in processing the budget for overcoming the national crisis and future transition.”

Floor Leader Kim also added, “Furthermore, starting with the National Intelligence Service Act, we will complete the reform legislation of power institutions by processing the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Agency (HOCI) Act, police reform laws, and others.”

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