Park Beom-gye "Han Myeong-sook Case Concluded Today"... 'Investigation Command Authority' Likely to Be Exercised (Comprehensive)

Additional Investigation Upon Exercising Investigation Command Authority... Potential New Flashpoint Between Ministry of Justice and Prosecution

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, is reportedly set to exercise his authority to direct the prosecution to investigate the 'Han Myeong-sook Former Prime Minister Perjury Coaching Case.' The statute of limitations for the accused inmate Kim, suspected of perjury during the investigation of former Prime Minister Han's violation of the Political Funds Act, and for former and current prosecutors accused of coaching perjury, expires on the 22nd.

On the 17th, Minister Park, while arriving at the Government Complex Gwacheon, told reporters, "I reviewed all the records of the (former Prime Minister Han) case yesterday. I examined them carefully and thoughtfully, and I think a decision should be made within today." When asked if he was leaning toward exercising the authority to direct the investigation, he nodded. Minister Park completed reviewing the inspection records transferred from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office by the previous day.

The day before, Minister Park also mentioned at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary session that regarding the prosecution's dismissal of the case, "I have not received a report that the decision was made with the participation of the Inspection Director or Im Eun-jeong, the Inspection Policy Research Officer," and added, "It is important to understand what efforts the investigators made and the process they followed."

If Minister Park exercises his authority to direct the investigation, the former Prime Minister Han case will enter a new phase. If inmate Kim is indicted before the 22nd during the reinvestigation, the statute of limitations for related parties will be suspended, allowing further investigation.

The issue is that former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae had already exercised supervisory authority over former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol by ordering the case to be directly investigated by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department rather than the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Human Rights Supervision Office last year. Depending on Minister Park's decision, two consecutive Ministers of Justice may exercise their authority to direct the investigation on the same case, which could be criticized as 'excessive political action.'

Moreover, there is no precedent for exercising the authority to direct an investigation to reinvestigate a case that the prosecution has already closed. Historically, the authority to direct investigations by Ministers of Justice has been exercised three times, including twice during former Minister Chu's tenure.

Some are also concerned that despite the matter having been finalized by the Supreme Court, Minister Park's move may appear as part of the ruling party's efforts to 'save Han Myeong-sook.' This could further ignite the ongoing conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution over 'prosecutorial reform.'

Minister Park has set a policy to review the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department's records on this suspicion and handle the matter before the statute of limitations expires. There are two inmate witnesses suspected of perjury in this case; one’s statute of limitations expired on the 6th, and the other's expires on the 22nd.

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