Ministry of Justice to Announce Position on Han Myeong-sook Case... Will It Exercise 'Investigation Control Authority'?

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye and Chief Prosecutor Kim Jin-wook of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials are attending the plenary session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Justice is set to announce its position on the 'Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook Defamation and Perjury Coaching Case.' With Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye reportedly planning to exercise his authority to direct the prosecution, the situation is increasingly likely to become a new point of conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Justice announced that it would explain the handling direction of the former Prime Minister Han’s case around 4:15 p.m. Earlier that day, Minister Park, while arriving at the Government Complex Gwacheon, told reporters, "I reviewed all the records of the former Prime Minister Han’s case yesterday. I examined them carefully and thoughtfully, and I think a decision should be made within today." When asked by reporters whether he was leaning toward exercising the authority to direct the investigation, he nodded. Minister Park completed reviewing all the inspection records transferred from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office by the previous day.

The day before, Minister Park also mentioned at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary session that he had not received a report that the prosecution’s decision to dismiss the case involved the participation of the head of the Inspection Department or Im Eun-jeong, the Inspection Policy Research Officer. He emphasized, "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’s case will enter a new phase. If the inmate Kim is indicted before the 22nd during the reinvestigation process, the statute of limitations for related parties will be suspended, allowing for additional investigations.

Minister Park has set a policy to handle the case before the statute of limitations expires after reviewing the records from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department regarding this suspicion. 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.

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