‘Yoon Seok-yeol Owner Suspicion’ Judicial Committee Starts with Discord... Ruling Party: “Constitutional Coup” vs Opposition: “Are They Asking Questions Based on Rumors?”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Jeon Jinyoung and Park Juni] At the National Assembly Judiciary Committee meeting held on the 6th regarding the suspicion of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s involvement in the accusation scandal, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties clashed from the start. Ruling party members labeled the suspicion as a “constitutional coup” and launched an offensive, while the opposition criticized, saying, “Are you raising urgent questions based on rumors?”

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-bae criticized during the Judiciary Committee’s urgent questioning, stating, “Managing elections and preventing public officials from interfering in elections is the foundation of a democratic republic. If this is shaken, it effectively amounts to a constitutional coup and is considered a disruption of national order.”

Yoon Han-hong, the opposition People Power Party’s secretary, said, “This meeting was held because the Democratic Party requested an urgent inquiry based on unreliable news. In fact, this is not a subject for urgent questioning,” adding, “Even Park Beom-gye, the Minister of Justice who has nothing to do with this incident, is present. Does Minister Park know well about this kind of internet rumor?” He criticized, “Isn’t this just a political offensive? Shouldn’t the Prosecutor General, who ordered a fact-finding investigation, be here?”

In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jumin said, “I believe the Minister of Justice has been thoroughly and sufficiently briefed on the related matters,” and added, “The Minister of Justice present at the scene is the highest supervisor and the person who receives reports on incidents involving Ministry of Justice officials. Therefore, it is hard to accept the claim that he is a third party who knows nothing about the matter or is unrelated.”

People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won expressed serious regret, saying, “I strongly regret the use of the sacred chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee of the Republic of Korea for a political show based on a shabby article,” and raised his voice, “Did the Democratic Party accept urgent questioning requests regarding the allegations of preferential military service for the children of former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae?”

As the People Power Party continued to demand the attendance of Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, lawmaker Kim Nam-guk countered, “The relevant parties are already present here. If the Prosecutor General really needs to be called, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for former Prosecutor General Yoon, who should directly respond and explain, to come and provide sufficient answers rather than the current Prosecutor General?” demanding Yoon’s attendance.

On that day, Prosecutor General Kim did not attend, citing that he has never appeared in relation to urgent incidents and the need to maintain political neutrality and fairness.

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