Disclosure of Yoon's Mother-in-Law Document... Park Beom-gye's Appearance Imminent

Another Suspicion Following 'Gobal Saju'
Calls for Private Use of Prosecutor Info Line
Speculation on Timing Coordination After Ending Observation Mode
Park Confirms Willingness to Investigate Documents

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, who had consistently maintained a 'spectator mode' amid various allegations surrounding the prosecution during former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's tenure, is now poised to take action.

On the 15th, legal circles and insiders within and outside the Ministry of Justice observed that Park's involvement is a foregone conclusion, with only the timing remaining uncertain. This follows the disclosure of documents prepared to respond to the so-called 'accusation solicitation' allegations, in which the prosecution allegedly requested the opposition party to file complaints against ruling party figures, as well as documents related to cases involving former Prosecutor General Yoon's mother-in-law. For Minister Park, the accusation solicitation allegations alone posed a burden for the Ministry of Justice to act, as Yoon was a leading opposition presidential candidate, and the government could face criticism for interfering in the election. However, with suspicions now raised around documents related to the response to the mother-in-law's case, the situation has changed.

Both allegations center on claims that former Prosecutor General Yoon intervened in the intelligence line during his tenure and used the relevant department for personal purposes. The accusation solicitation stems from a tip that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Investigation Information Policy Office was involved in delivering the complaint. The documents concerning the mother-in-law's case have fueled suspicions that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's intelligence line was involved in collecting private information for Yoon personally. Some voices call for an organizational review, including downsizing intelligence-gathering departments under the Prosecutor General. This falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, creating an environment where Minister Park can actively intervene.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office has yet to produce significant results from its fact-finding investigation into the accusation solicitation allegations, making the situation more pressing. The Inspection Division 3 of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, analyzing related materials, recently identified the prosecutor who first drafted the complaint but reportedly found no meaningful leads beyond that. Recently, the investigation has expanded beyond former Investigation Information Policy Officer Son Jun-sung to include all prosecutors who worked in the Investigation Information Policy Office.

The parties involved continue to deny the allegations. Son, whom Minister Park is convinced was the complaint deliverer, issued a statement the day before, reiterating, "I never drafted the complaint nor delivered it to Assemblyman Kim Woong." This has strengthened expectations that the case will be formally investigated. After attending a meeting of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee the previous day, Minister Park told reporters, "Whether the current fact-finding investigation is converted into an inspection or continues in its current form, if it is not an investigation, there is little difference." Regarding the documents related to the response to the mother-in-law's case, he expressed his intention to conduct a thorough investigation, stating, "We need to investigate the connection with the 'Red Team Report' mentioned by Lee Jung-hyun, head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Public Investigation Department." The Red Team Report is an internal document prepared by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 1 concerning the Channel A incident that surfaced in March last year. It was referenced during the disciplinary review of former Prosecutor General Yoon. If linked to this report, the documents related to the mother-in-law's case may have been prepared for personal purposes.

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