Prosecutors' Summons for Ministry of Industry Blacklist Investigation Imminent... "Corruption Investigations to Decrease if 'Geom Su Wan Bak' Passes" (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Environment Blacklist Supreme Court Final Ruling Prompts 'Cautious Investigation'
Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Science Conduct Investigation According to Law and Principles
No Confirmation of Cheong Involvement

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office has completely denied the controversies surrounding 'political retaliation' and 'code-aligned investigations' raised by some quarters.

On the 12th, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office told reporters through a document titled "Investigation Progress on the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Personnel Authority Abuse Case" that "the search and seizure preparations were made before the presidential election" and "the investigation team was reinforced through the reassignment of prosecutors in the building on March 7."

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy blacklist case involves an incident in September 2017, early in the Moon Jae-in administration, where a senior official of the Ministry forced resignation letters from heads of affiliated public institutions. The Liberty Korea Party filed complaints against related persons to the Eastern District Prosecutors' Office in January and July 2019.

Eastern District Prosecutors' Office Awaits Supreme Court Final Ruling on Ministry of Environment Blacklist Case... Considering Overseas Dispatch of Accused

The Eastern District Prosecutors' Office stated that it conducted a cautious investigation after awaiting the Supreme Court's final ruling on the Ministry of Environment blacklist case. The office explained, "Although investigations were conducted when the first complaint was filed, since the case has a similar structure to the previously filed and prosecuted 'Ministry of Environment blacklist case,' we judged it necessary to await the Supreme Court's final ruling on that case."

It added, "In the Ministry of Environment blacklist case, the scope of the prosecution's charges and the guilty verdicts in the first and second trials all differed," and "If the investigation into the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy proceeded by arbitrarily selecting the results of the first or second trial, there was a risk of infringing on the human rights of the parties involved." It also explained that consideration was given to the fact that the key accused in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy blacklist case left for the United States on March 19, 2019, and returned after completing an overseas dispatch in February this year.

Eastern District Prosecutors' Office to Summon Soon... Concerns Over Reduced Total Corruption Investigations if Prosecutorial Authority is Fully Stripped

On the same day, Shim Woo-jung, head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, held a press briefing in the afternoon and said, "About two weeks have passed since the search and seizure, and some of the seized materials have been analyzed," adding, "We will conduct summons investigations soon."

Chief Prosecutor Shim also explained the investigation progress, saying, "No connection with the Blue House has been confirmed," and "We are still analyzing the seized materials, so we cannot comment in advance on how the investigation will proceed."

Besides this, the prosecution plans to investigate complaints related to other ministries such as the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Science and ICT once the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy investigation is completed. Chief Prosecutor Shim stated, "Regarding complaints involving ministries other than the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, investigations will be conducted according to law and principles."

Chief Prosecutor Shim also expressed opposition to the complete stripping of prosecutorial investigative authority (Geomsu Wanbak). He said, "Please consider whether, when a family member suffers an injustice, you want everything to end with a police investigation or want a prosecutor to review and judge once more." He added, "It is a concern that the total capacity for corruption investigations will decrease," and "I believe the public will judge whether that is appropriate."

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