President Lee Won-seok: "Respecting the Investigation Deliberation Committee's Decision on Kim Geon-hee... Conclusion Within Term"

Selection of This Week's Current Affairs Committee Members, Next Week's Meeting Expected
President Lee Won-seok's Term Expires on the 15th of Next Month

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok announced on the 26th that he will respect the deliberation results of the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Investigation Deliberation Committee) regarding the luxury bag acceptance case involving First Lady Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, and make the final disposition.

On the morning of the same day, while heading to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul, Prosecutor General Lee told reporters, "During my tenure as Prosecutor General, I have always respected the opinions of the frontline prosecution investigation teams," adding, "While respecting the investigation team's opinions, we intend to listen carefully to opinions outside the prosecution to handle the case more fairly and make a cautious final disposition."

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok answering questions from reporters as he arrives at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul on the 26th. Photo by YTN News screen capture

When asked why he referred this case to the Investigation Deliberation Committee, Prosecutor General Lee replied, "Because there is still ongoing exhausting controversy in society, it is desirable to hear opinions outside the prosecution and resolve the case fairly."

In response to the question, "There are criticisms that referring the case to the Investigation Deliberation Committee is just a pretext to conclude with no charges," he said, "The Investigation Deliberation Committee is independent in its procedures, composition, operation, and conclusions. The Prosecutor General cannot intervene in its operation, composition, or conclusions."

Regarding earlier remarks that the investigation team's legal interpretation was thorough, which some criticized as providing guidelines to the Investigation Deliberation Committee, he stated, "As I mentioned, the Investigation Deliberation Committee is independently composed and operated. I should not and do not intervene."

Prosecutor General Lee also explained why, when referring the case to the Investigation Deliberation Committee, he included not only the violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act but also charges of bribery and violations of the Attorney-at-Law Act: "Because exhausting controversy should not continue, I believe the committee will fairly deliberate on all legal aspects included."

Meanwhile, when asked about the outlook that it would be difficult to conclude the investigation within his term, he expressed strong determination by saying, "Looking at precedents and the usual operation process of the Investigation Deliberation Committee, I believe it can be completed within my term," indicating his intention to conclude the case before his term expires on July 15.

Earlier, after receiving a report from Lee Chang-su, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, on the investigation results concluding no charges against First Lady Kim regarding the luxury bag acceptance case, Prosecutor General Lee referred the case to the Investigation Deliberation Committee on his own authority on the 23rd.

When a current affairs committee is formed with 15 members randomly selected from 150 to 300 external expert members, the lead prosecutor of the case, the suspect, and related parties can submit written opinions and directly appear before the committee on the day of deliberation to present their views.

Prosecutors must respect the deliberation opinions of the current affairs committee regarding whether to indict, but they are not bound to detain.

If the selection of current affairs committee members is completed smoothly this week, the current affairs committee is expected to be held next week.

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