Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye: "Prosecution of Lee Seong-yoon? I Have Nothing to Say"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, refrained from commenting as he arrived at work on the 10th, the day when the decision on whether to indict Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, will be made, saying, "I have nothing special to say."

As Minister Park arrived at the Ministry of Justice Government Gwacheon Complex that day, he responded to reporters' questions about the expectation that "Lee's prosecution review committee will be held and he will be indicted" with the same remark.

Regarding the possibility of personnel measures for the members of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team who investigated Chief Prosecutor Lee, Minister Park said, "This personnel reshuffle will proceed in a chain, starting from new chief prosecutors to senior prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and high prosecutors," adding, "I can only speak in general terms," avoiding a direct answer.

At 2 p.m. that day, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office held a meeting of the Prosecutorial Investigation Review Committee regarding Chief Prosecutor Lee, who is accused of exerting external pressure on the investigation into former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui's illegal travel ban. The 15 committee members reviewed statements from Chief Prosecutor Lee and the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team and planned to recommend whether to prosecute and continue the investigation.

However, it is known that the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team intends to indict Chief Prosecutor Lee regardless of the review committee's recommendation. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office is also reported to have reached the same conclusion. There is speculation that the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team may be disbanded during the upcoming prosecutorial personnel reshuffle, which could coincide with the appointment of Kim Oh-soo as Prosecutor General, leading to expectations that the indictment of Chief Prosecutor Lee will be expedited.

Meanwhile, Minister Park is scheduled to attend a dialogue event with newly appointed prosecutors in the afternoon. He stated, "In a changing environment, the role of prosecutors should place greater emphasis on human rights protection and judicial control," adding, "I will encourage them to be more dedicated in that spirit."

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