'Yoon Seok-yeol 2nd Disciplinary Committee'... Cho Kuk Criticizes Prosecution and Media, Saying "Thanks to the Media, the Prosecution's Excessive Investigation Failures Are Concealed"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] On the 15th, during the second meeting of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee regarding Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk criticized the prosecution and the media by citing an interview with lawyer Lee Yeon-ju, author of "Why I Left the Prosecution," published by a media outlet.

This book is written by lawyer Lee, who left the prosecution and exposed internal practices within the prosecution. Lee resigned about a year after becoming a prosecutor in 2002 and has since continuously voiced criticism of the prosecution.

On the same day, former Minister Cho quoted from the interview article on his Facebook page, specifically the answer to the question, "You said the media acts as a beaters when the media hunts. In what way is that so?"

In the interview, lawyer Lee responded, "(The media is) an assistant to the prosecution's investigation," adding, "When the prosecution calls, they kindly accept and write it down. Prosecutors leak the facts of the suspect, and reporters write them as is."

Lee further pointed out, "Judges are human too, so how could they not be influenced?" and said, "(In the media) for months, they monopolize the headlines and launch carpet bombing. Ultimately, such reporting sometimes conceals the prosecution's failures."

She added, "The investigation into the Cho Kuk family is a representative example," stating, "Even if the court acquits, they think it is not truly innocent. It seems both the media and the prosecution aim for that. Thanks to the media, the failure of the prosecution's excessive investigation is concealed."

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