Mayor Shin Sangjin: "Denial of the Judiciary Leads to Dictatorship... Withdrawal of Prosecution Claims Must Stop"

Shin Sangjin, Mayor of Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province, delivered strong criticism regarding the political circles' claims of "withdrawal of prosecution" in connection with the Daejang-dong case, stating, "Actions that deny the judiciary's judgment are a dangerous signal that threatens democracy."

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin submitted a complaint against Justice Minister Jeong Seongho and others to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials at the Government Complex Gwacheon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on November 29 last year, related to the prosecution's decision to forgo an appeal in the first trial of the Daejang-dong case. Provided by Seongnam City

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Screenshot of Facebook homepage of Shin Sangjin, Mayor of Seongnam.

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On April 17, Mayor Shin stated on his social media, "The abuse of power has crossed the line," and pointed out, "Driving the Daejang-dong case as a 'manipulation by political prosecutors' and denying the court's ruling is an act that shakes the constitutional order."

He specifically warned, "Attempts by political forces holding legislative and executive powers to ignore judicial decisions directly undermine the principle of separation of powers," adding that if the checks and balances are destroyed, the inevitable outcome is dictatorship.

Mayor Shin made it clear that the Daejang-dong case is not merely a suspicion but a legally confirmed crime. Citing the first trial verdict, he reminded that the court defined the case as "a corruption crime committed through collusion between key figures at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation and private contractors via the offering of bribes, and a breach of trust case that transferred the interests of local residents and the public to private business operators."

He further emphasized, "It is an undeniable fact, confirmed by legal evidence, that the defendants acquired property gains of approximately 788.6 billion won. Denying this goes beyond a mere political claim and constitutes an unconstitutional outrage that destroys the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution."

Additionally, Mayor Shin stated, "Denial of the judiciary is as fatal to democracy as physical threats using guns and swords," and described the rule of law and the Constitution as the 'minimum promise' that upholds society.

He also urged that attempts to undermine the rule of law for the withdrawal of prosecution for a specific individual threaten the very foundation of the nation, and called for an immediate halt to the practice of sacrificing constitutional values for political gain.

Mayor Shin insisted, "Where the rule of law collapses, only chaos and dictatorship remain," and argued, "Upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, not political agitation, is the path to protecting democracy."

Mayor Shin reaffirmed his commitment to safeguard the rule of law and to dedicate himself to normalizing city administration in the future.

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