Prosecution Indicts Yoon with Detention... Ruling Party: "Inadequate, Unfair, Unjust", Opposition: "Start of Punishment" (Comprehensive)

On the 26th, after the court rejected the prosecution's request to extend the detention period for President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is accused of being the ringleader of the insurrection, the prosecution proceeded to indict him while he remains in custody. The People Power Party fiercely criticized the prosecution's indictment of President Yoon as 'inadequate,' 'unjust,' and 'unlawful,' while opposition parties including the Democratic Party welcomed it as 'the beginning of punishment.'

On the same day, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook, "The prosecution forcibly pushed through an unreasonable indictment against President Yoon today," adding, "I cannot help but criticize it as a deficient, unjust, and unlawful indictment."

Kwon argued that the prosecution's indictment of President Yoon while in custody is unjust, given that the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which arrested and detained President Yoon earlier, is based on political bias and deficiencies and unfairness.

To strengthen the investigation, the prosecution applied to the court twice, on the 23rd and 25th, to extend President Yoon's detention period, but the court rejected the requests, stating that there is no explicit provision under the CIO Act allowing the prosecution to conduct supplementary investigations. The People Power Party has insisted that the prosecution should indict President Yoon without detention.

Yonhap News

원본보기 아이콘

He pointed out, "Procedural completeness is extremely important in investigations involving a sitting president," adding, "However, the investigation results from the CIO, now in the hands of the prosecution, are tainted by legal defects and political bias. The prosecution's indictment, rooted in the CIO's deficient and unfair investigation, cannot be different."

He continued, "Above all, today's decision by the prosecution is highly political," and stated, "If there were divided opinions even at the prosecutors' chiefs meeting, it is only natural to prioritize the 'benefit of the suspect.' There are criticisms that the prosecution leadership pre-decided and convened a face-saving meeting."

Furthermore, Kwon said, "The CIO and the prosecution have thrown away the principle of due process. They judged not according to law and principles but based on political interests. How can someone who judges politically rather than legally be called a legal professional?" He criticized, "The phenomenon where grass bends by the wind is called wind-induced movement (風動). Who would trust a prosecution that bends according to power?"

Shin Dong-wook, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, also commented, calling it a "wrong and deficient indictment without a proper investigation of President Yoon," and said, "The unprecedented investigation of a sitting president in the history of the Republic of Korea's constitutional government has only caused a 'huge aftershock' of national division and public confusion." He added, "The prosecution will find it difficult to avoid 'severe responsibility' for today's deficient indictment. The judiciary must impeach the CIO's illegal investigation records and dismiss the indictment during the upcoming trial process."

On the other hand, opposition parties emphasized judgment against President Yoon and those who executed and abetted the insurrection. Han Min-su, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a briefing, "The punishment of the ringleader of the insurrection now begins," emphasizing, "All those who conspired and executed illegal martial law, as well as those who spread rumors and incited the insurrection, must be held accountable."

He added, "Defendant Yoon Seok-yeol should accept the fundamental legal principle that 'all citizens are equal before the law' and sincerely participate in the trial," and urged, "Stop mocking judges with sophistry, lies, and self-denial, and cease attempts to incite far-right supporters with baseless delusions."

He further stated, "The court should strictly hold the insurrection ringleader Yoon Seok-yeol accountable for the disruption of the national order and the trampling of democracy," adding, "Judicial justice and the rule of law, as well as the mandate of the sovereign people, require the court to issue a strict ruling based on law and principles to ensure that no one can ever again violate the constitutional order and democracy established through the sacrifices of countless citizens."

Yoon Jae-gwan, spokesperson for the Innovation Party of Justice, also said in a statement, "It was only natural and just that the prosecution indicted key figures involved in the insurrection, including Kim Yong-hyun and military and police leaders, in custody. It was unthinkable from the start that the prosecution would indict their ringleader without detention."

Earlier, the prosecution held a nationwide meeting of high and regional prosecutors, presided over by Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, for about three hours, and after discussions, instructed the Special Investigation Headquarters for Emergency Martial Law (headed by Park Se-hyun, Seoul High Prosecutor) to file the indictment. They viewed the expiration date of President Yoon's detention warrant as the 27th and made the decision to maintain his detention status.

Yonhap News

원본보기 아이콘

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.