Park Yong-jin "Lee Jae-myung Should Not Back Down from Prosecutors' Offensive"

"'Saengjeuksasa Sajuksaeng' Determination with Confidence"
Regarding the Controversy Over the Release of 16 Prosecutors' Names... "What Kind of Targeting Is That?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been notified of a summons for a prosecution investigation on the 28th. Meanwhile, Park Yong-jin, a non-Lee faction member within the party, urged him to effectively comply with the summons, saying, "We must not back down from the prosecution's offensive."

On the 26th, Park appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "Since he maintains his innocence and criticizes the prosecution's political manipulation, he should face it confidently."

He added, "With the resolve of General Yi Sun-sin's saying, 'If you want to live, you will die; if you want to die, you will live,' it is right to respond to the investigation with confidence," emphasizing the need to comply with the prosecution's summons.

Park stressed that for party unity, Lee must comply with the summons. When asked by the host whether a 'confident response' means complying with the summons, he replied, "After that, party unity is possible. (The summons) is part of the judicial process anyway," and said, "I believe the procedure will proceed in a way that responds confidently."

He also said, "It is the judicial process of the Republic of Korea, so whether through written statements or direct appearance, it is right to respond to the prosecution's attempt to investigate this."

However, some within the party express concerns about being caught up in the prosecution's political intentions. Park said, "I think this is something we can assert," but also questioned, "How can the response stance change? Politically, we criticize, and judicially, we have no choice but to respond to this, right?" He emphasized that even if politically critical, they must respond according to judicial procedures.

Regarding the controversy over the Democratic Party distributing the real names and photos of the 16 prosecutors in charge of Lee's investigation through social media, which has been criticized as 'targeting,' he said, "I wonder if such a thing was really necessary, but everyone actually knows who the investigating prosecutors and their supervisors are," adding, "I don't really understand how that counts as targeting."

On Lee's plan to meet former President Moon Jae-in in the New Year, Park dismissed exaggerated interpretations, saying, "Whether ruling or opposition party, it is common to visit former presidents of one's own party to pay respects and New Year's visits."

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