Yeowoon-guk Deputy Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office Controversy Over Call with Ruling Party Lawmaker... "Inappropriate as Chief Prosecutor" vs "Courtesy Call, No Investigation Details"

Yeowoon-guk, Deputy Director of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] It has become controversial that Yeo Woon-guk, Deputy Chief of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (PCC), contacted Park Seong-jun, a ruling party member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, immediately after the PCC's national audit by the committee.

Deputy Chief Yeo is the lead prosecutor in charge of the investigation into the 'accusation solicitation' allegations involving Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party. Therefore, it has been pointed out that it was inappropriate for him to have a private phone call with a ruling party lawmaker. Park, who serves as a joint spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate campaign, recently urged a thorough investigation into Yoon regarding the 'accusation solicitation' allegations at the National Assembly.

In response, the PCC explained that the Deputy Chief, who oversees general administrative duties including parliamentary affairs outside of investigations, cannot avoid or refuse calls from lawmakers of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. They also denied the media reports about a 'dinner appointment' as untrue.

On the 17th, the Chosun Ilbo reported in an exclusive article titled "[Exclusive] PCC Deputy Chief Investigating Yoon Seok-yeol Contacts Lee Jae-myung Campaign Lawmaker, Causing Controversy" that Deputy Chief Yeo recently spoke with Park and arranged a dinner appointment which was later canceled.

The Chosun Ilbo reported that earlier this month, Deputy Chief Yeo spoke with Park and made plans to have dinner around the 22nd but canceled the appointment later. A PCC official explained, "The dinner appointment was merely a courtesy and no specific schedule was set," but this was said to be inconsistent with the facts.

However, the PCC rebutted in a statement released that morning, saying, "The claim that 'an appointment was made for the 22nd and later canceled' is not true."

The PCC stated, "The Deputy Chief of the PCC holds a position overseeing not only investigations but also general administrative duties including parliamentary affairs. Despite being the lead prosecutor in major ongoing investigations, Deputy Chief Yeo attended the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's budget subcommittee on the 16th to explain the 2022 budget proposal to lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties. He must also visit the National Assembly again soon regarding the upcoming amendment to the PCC Act, ensuring that parliamentary duties are not neglected for the operation of the agency. This reality supports the situation."

They continued, "Given this position and reality, the Deputy Chief cannot avoid or refuse calls from lawmakers of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee who oversee the PCC."

The PCC admitted the phone call with Park.

However, the PCC stated, "As described in the article, it was an extremely brief conversation exchanging greetings, and at the end of the conversation, the Deputy Chief politely declined the suggestion of a dinner appointment as a courtesy, without specifying a date, so it was left unresolved."

They added, "No investigation-related content was included in the conversation, and the claim that 'an appointment was made for the 22nd and later canceled' is false. Viewing this as a 'private call' or an 'inappropriate contact' intended to influence the investigation has no basis whatsoever."

Furthermore, the PCC emphasized, "We regard political independence and neutrality as our most important values. Taking this incident as an opportunity, the PCC will strive to ensure that not only the substantive content of our work but also the appearance of our work performance does not cause unnecessary political misunderstandings."

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