'Lee Dong-jae Acquitted in First Trial'... Park Beom-gye "Former Minister Directed Investigation, I Cannot Evaluate"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Regarding the acquittal of former Channel A reporter Lee Dongjae, who was indicted on the so-called 'media-prosecutor collusion' allegations, Minister of Justice Park Beomgye said, "I cannot evaluate the investigation supervision conducted by the former Minister (Choo Mi-ae)."
On the 19th, as Minister Park arrived at the Ministry of Justice Government Gwacheon Building, he met with reporters and responded to questions about whether the Ministry of Justice's investigation supervision in the media-prosecutor collusion case was appropriate by saying, "Since it is the first trial, the trial itself is important."
Earlier, on the 16th, former reporter Lee was acquitted at the first trial sentencing hearing presided over by Chief Judge Hong Changwoo of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 1. The junior reporter Baek Mo, who was indicted together, was also acquitted.
On that day, Minister Park, when asked about former Special Prosecutor Park Youngsoo’s request to the Ministry of Justice for an interpretation on whether he qualifies as a public official, said, "It is already settled in my mind," but added, "I will speak through the spokesperson."
Earlier, the former special prosecutor’s side, who is suspected of receiving a Porsche rental car from Kim Mo (43), a so-called 'fake seafood businessman,' claimed that they could not accept the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission’s judgment that "the special prosecutor is a public official." They argued, "According to the Government Organization Act and others, the authority to interpret penal provisions lies with the Ministry of Justice, and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission does not have the authority to interpret laws within its scope of work."
Currently, the Ministry of Justice is known to hold the position that it is inappropriate to provide authoritative interpretations on specific investigative matters.
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Meanwhile, Minister Park did not respond to questions regarding Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jang Junhee’s interview with a media outlet on the same day, who had reported allegations of illegal travel ban on former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.
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