Lee Won-seok, on the rejection of the 'money envelope' arrest warrant, says "Sufficient grounds for detention"

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok expressed regret on the 13th regarding the National Assembly's rejection of the arrest consent motions for independent lawmakers Yoon Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man the previous day, stating, "It is regrettable that the legislative branch, the National Assembly, fundamentally excluded the pre-trial detention procedure of the judiciary, the courts."

During a visit to encourage the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office on the same day, Lee told reporters in response to questions about the rejection of the National Assembly's arrest consent motions for the two lawmakers who left the Democratic Party of Korea amid allegations of money envelopes at the party convention, "There are sufficient grounds for detention."

He said, "Article 8 of the Constitution stipulates that the organization and activities of political parties must be democratic," adding, "The fact that money should not be involved in elections is a fundamental core constitutional value shared and agreed upon by the people."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee further stated, "The organized, large-scale, and secret distribution of cash during the process of electing party representatives, and the acceptance of such money, constitute very serious crimes."

Regarding the Democratic Party's claim that the prosecution is conducting an excessive investigation into the money envelope allegations, he said, "We will do our best to investigate strictly, calmly, and rationally to clearly ascertain the facts of the case and ensure that appropriate legal punishment is carried out."

Additionally, Lee mentioned, "It is true that the disclosure of personal information of defendants undergoing trial after indictment is restricted," and added, "Considering the public's right to know, victim protection, and prevention of further crimes, we will strive to improve laws to expand the disclosure of personal information for serious criminals in the future." This remark is interpreted as related to recent calls for expanding the disclosure of perpetrators' identities following the 'Busan Spinning Kick Incident,' where a woman returning home was assaulted.

On the same day, Lee visited the Western Branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, the Dabudong War Memorial in Chilgok County, Gyeongbuk, and the Chilgok Peace Observatory, followed by an encouragement visit to the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office and District Prosecutors' Office.

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