Despite Yoon's Active Explanation... The Persistent 'Gobal Saju' Allegation

Yoon Seok-yeol Visits Lee Jun-seok
Actively Addresses Allegations of Reported Solicitation

Camp Also Claims "Fabricated Falsehoods"
People Power Party Forms Internal Verification Team

Ruling Party Launches Comprehensive Offensive
Controversy May Expand During Today's Legislation Committee Meeting

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is heading to the party leader's office at the National Assembly on the 6th to meet with Representative Lee Jun-seok. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee and Jinyoung Jeon] The controversy over former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's alleged 'prosecution request for accusation' is shaking the political world in September. Despite Yoon's camp's denial of the allegations as 'groundless,' the controversy shows no signs of subsiding and is instead spreading. The emergency inquiry by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 6th and whether the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (PCA) will launch an investigation have emerged as critical turning points determining the course of this issue.

On the morning of the same day, former Prosecutor General Yoon visited Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, and actively explained the allegations of the prosecution request for accusation. After the visit, Yoon told reporters, "If this is called a political operation, as everyone saw during my tenure as Prosecutor General, isolating the Prosecutor General and having some political prosecutors communicate with the ruling party to handle investigation cases itself is a political operation, isn't it?" He added, "Since those who have been doing this regularly are now creating another frame, I believe the public will never tolerate it."

Yoon's camp claims that the related reports are fabricated falsehoods. Kim Kyung-jin, the external cooperation special advisor for Yoon's campaign, appeared on MBC radio that morning and said, "Son Joon-sung, the Policy Officer for Investigation Information, had his computer seized in a search of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office last November. If those documents had been exchanged, they should have been discovered then." Son is the person accused of instructing Kim Woong, then a candidate for the United Future Party (now People Power Party) in April last year, to file accusations against ruling party figures.

However, the possibility that Yoon and his camp's explanations will quell the issue currently appears low. For now, the People Power Party, to which Yoon belongs, has decided to form an internal verification team regarding this incident. The verification team is an organization that can examine various allegations raised against candidates during the primary process. Within the People Power Party, there are concerns that this issue could potentially hamper the entire presidential election phase.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is entering the party leader's office on the 6th after concluding the Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly to meet with Yoon Seok-yeol, former Prosecutor General and presidential pre-candidate. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

The ruling party is mounting an all-out offensive, even involving former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who was the key minister during Yoon's tenure. In an interview with MBC radio that morning, former Minister Choo strongly criticized, saying, "This is a prosecutorial coup plotting a prosecution storm ahead of the general election," and added, "Former Prosecutor General Yoon privatized the organization to cover up unfavorable issues such as corruption among his close aides and family and commissioned accusations. This distorted public opinion ahead of the general election."

The ruling party leadership is also escalating attacks daily against the main opposition's leading presidential candidate. Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the morning supreme council meeting, "The collusion between the prosecution's right-hand man and the general election candidate is the worst incident in the history of the prosecution that is hard to express in words," and raised his voice, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office must immediately switch to an investigation." Leader Song also urged the prosecution and the PCA to launch investigations.

Meanwhile, in the emergency inquiry session of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held that day, the ruling and opposition parties are expected to clash sharply over this issue. Park Joo-min, a Democratic Party member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said on YTN radio, "Through a request for materials, the committee will officially be able to conduct an investigation," and added, "I plan to ask about the relationship between the Policy Officer for Investigation Information and the then Prosecutor General, as well as the relationship with the Public Investigation Department Chief, who was specified as the recipient of the accusation letter." Moreover, most of the People Power Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, including Kwon Seong-dong, Yoon Han-hong, and Jang Je-won, have joined Yoon's campaign or have close ties. Given the high likelihood that they will actively defend former Prosecutor General Yoon during the inquiry, clashes between the ruling and opposition parties seem inevitable.

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