Kim Oh-soo: "Proposal for Special Investigation Team on Cho Kuk Was Correct, but Did Not Say to Exclude Yoon Seok-yeol"

Kim Oh-soo, the nominee for Prosecutor General, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 26th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Candidate for Prosecutor General Kim Osu stated that he did not make any remarks about excluding former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol during the investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk when he was Deputy Minister of Justice.

On the 26th, during the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly, in response to a question from Yoon Han-hong, a member of the People Power Party, asking whether he proposed forming an investigative team excluding former Prosecutor General Yoon during the investigation of former Minister Cho, Kim explained, "It is true that I made such a statement."

Kim explained that on the day of former Minister of Justice Park Sang-ki's farewell ceremony, Kang Nam-il, then Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, visited the Ministry of Justice and met with Kim. At this meeting, Kim proposed to Kang the idea of creating a separate investigative team to investigate former Minister Cho's case.

In response, Kang asked, "How will the Prosecutor General's investigative command be handled?" Kim replied, "The Prosecutor General is not involved in this matter, so naturally, the investigative command authority exists. However, the method of exercising this investigative command is up to the Prosecutor General to decide." He added that later, during the Supreme Prosecutors' Office audit, a senior official answered that there was no mention of excluding Prosecutor General Yoon among Kim's statements, clarifying that he never suggested excluding former Prosecutor General Yoon.

Meanwhile, regarding concerns about his political bias, Kim responded, "I was promoted to chief prosecutor during the previous administration," and said, "I believe there has never been any controversy over my political neutrality during my tenure as a prosecutor."

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