Yoo In-tae: "In autumn, quietly rest for a while, and Yoon should quit as prosecutor general if he wants to do politics"

Yoo In-tae, Secretary General of the National Assembly, is delivering a welcoming speech at the Health and Welfare Committee's 2019 Legislative and Policy Review Press Conference held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on January 29. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Former Secretary General of the National Assembly Yoon In-tae said on the 29th about Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, "She is neither returning home in glory nor anything like that; she is almost ruined, so she should quietly rest for a while and decide her future instead of running for Seoul mayor or the presidential election." Regarding Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, he said, "If he is going to enter politics, he should step down from his position as Prosecutor General."

On the same day, on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' former Secretary General Yoon said, "(Minister Chu) may receive enthusiastic support from hardline supporters, but they are a minority, and since every action she takes has been ruled against by the courts, if that's not being ruined, then what is?"

Regarding Prosecutor General Yoon's position, he said, "If he wants to serve as Prosecutor General until the end of his term, he should at least declare that he will not enter politics," adding, "We need to consider whether it is appropriate for someone who might run as the next presidential candidate to exercise such overwhelming and unchecked prosecutorial power for the remaining seven months of his term." He further added, "If he is going into politics, the answer is to just step down from the Prosecutor General position soon."

Furthermore, former Secretary General Yoon evaluated the conflict between Minister Chu and Prosecutor General Yoon by saying that it is beneficial (得) for Prosecutor General Yoon but detrimental (失) for Minister Chu.

He also said, "(When Minister Chu) announced the results of the investigation related to Prosecutor General Yoon and pushed for disciplinary action, it did not seem like there was any coordination with the Blue House," adding, "Even if someone had coordinated, would they have told her to make remarks like 'You're writing fiction'?" He continued, "From the moment she said 'You're writing fiction,' I had a very bad feeling," and pointed out, "If you say things like that in the National Assembly, it ultimately makes you very disliked by the public."

Additionally, former Secretary General Yoon said, "The president is the biggest burden. (Minister Chu) has been such a burden to the administration, and the current drop in approval ratings is entirely because of that," and evaluated, "The public's resentment, reflected in the approval ratings, seems to be because the president neither mediated nor adjusted the situation and just let it go this far."

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