Park Beom-gye "Embarrassed as Minister"... Attends 'National Assembly PAT Trial'

3rd Attendance... First in 6 Months Since November Last Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, appeared as a defendant in the trial of the 'National Assembly Fast Track (Rapid Processing Agenda) Clash' case and expressed his position, saying it was an "embarrassing matter as a minister."

On the 26th, Park attended the third trial session of former and current members of the Democratic Party of Korea at the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 12 (Presiding Judge Oh Sang-yong) and said, "From the beginning of this case to the trial, the whole process is part of democracy."

He added, "Through the trial, the significance of prosecutorial reform and the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials will be newly highlighted," and "As the Minister of Justice, it is embarrassing to be tried here, where I was once appointed as a judge."

Furthermore, Park stated, "In this historic courtroom, I will respectfully ask the court whether this indictment is just." This is the third time Park has appeared in court as a defendant, and it has been six months since November last year, before his appointment as minister.

When asked by reporters whether he deliberately delayed the trial, Park replied, "I did not intentionally delay it."

Meanwhile, Park and others were indicted early last year on charges of assaulting and injuring members and officials of the Liberty Korea Party (now the People Power Party) during the 'Fast Track Clash' incident in 2019. They deny the charges, claiming it was a legitimate official act to break through the Liberty Korea Party members who were trying to block the meeting room.

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