Choo Mi-ae: "When I Asked Yoon Seok-yeol for Opinions on Prosecutor Personnel, He Retorted, 'Are You Telling Me to Go After My Own People?'"

Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is giving a speech declaring her candidacy for the 20th presidential election at a studio in Heyri, Paju, Gyeonggi Province on the 23rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Recently, former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who declared her candidacy for the presidential election, claimed that Yoon Seok-yeol, a leading opposition presidential candidate and former Prosecutor General, reacted negatively when asked for his opinion on past prosecutorial personnel matters, saying, "Are you telling me to criticize my own people?"

In an interview on the YouTube broadcast 'Saenal' on the 28th, former Minister Choo pointed out, "He should be the Prosecutor General for everyone, so why are there prosecutors who are considered 'insiders' and others who are not?" She added, "At the time, I felt like he was implying there was a 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction'."

She confessed that she felt "not only shocked but also frustrated" by the criticism of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and herself among first-term Democratic Party lawmakers following the ruling party's defeat in the April 7 by-elections.

Former Minister Choo said, "Was it a message not to pursue prosecutorial reform? Was it saying Minister Cho was wrong? Was it saying I was wrong? Or that Yoon Seok-yeol was right?" She criticized, "It is just mimicking the JoongAng, Chosun, and Dong-A newspapers and the logic used by the People Power Party to attack and corner the Democratic Party."

She continued, "Just because we lost once in the election, we should think of it as resistance to reform, not as a mistake," and criticized, "They don't even know which direction to go and are floundering."

Regarding calls from some within the ruling party to slow down prosecutorial reform, she rebuked, "For those who visit Bongha Village to pay respects to former President Roh Moo-hyun, they should not say such things."

She added tearfully, "Former President Roh's grave is not just a grave; it is a place of tragedy. When you bow down at the grave, you feel the tragedy deeply and think, 'We still haven't accomplished that yet.'"

Meanwhile, former Prosecutor General Yoon will declare his presidential candidacy at 1 p.m. on the 29th at the 'Maeheon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall' in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

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