From Accusations to Hyun-Ji Kim and Min Joong-ki... The Judiciary Committee Turns into a Political Battleground

[Financial News] The Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly has once again been engulfed in political strife. Even before the audit began, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over accusations. The audit included matters related to Hyun-Ji Kim, First Secretary to the President, and suspicions of external pressure in the Coupang investigation, further fueling the partisan conflict.
On the 23rd, the Judiciary Committee conducted a parliamentary audit of the Seoul High Public Prosecutors' Office, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and other metropolitan prosecutors' offices.
Even before the audit began, the committee saw fierce clashes over accusations. The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the ruling party, filed perjury charges against Im Seong-geun, former commander of the 1st Marine Division, for denying his acquaintance with Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment and a key suspect in the lobbying scandal, during testimony at the audit on the 17th. Additionally, the DPK filed further perjury charges against Park Sung-je, former Minister of Justice, Wankyu Lee, former Chief of the Office for Government Legislation, and Song Changjin, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). The opposition People Power Party objected, claiming the DPK was violating the Constitution, but the ruling party pushed the resolutions through with its numerical majority.
Debate over Hyun-Ji Kim continued between the parties. The People Power Party argued that Kim should appear in person to clarify suspicions that she was involved in President Lee Jae-myung's trial, likening their relationship to the film 'Asura.' The DPK countered that it was inappropriate for Kim to testify before the Judiciary Committee rather than the Operations Committee, which oversees audits of the presidential office. Ultimately, the request to call Kim as a witness was rejected. Requests to summon attorneys Lee Sang-ho and Seol Ju-wan, who were also said to be connected to President Lee's trial, were similarly voted down by the DPK.
The Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team (led by Min Joong-ki) also addressed the case of a Yangpyeong public official's death and allegations that Min used undisclosed information. Jeong Jin-woo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, responded to committee members' questions by stating, "We will look into the matter carefully and take necessary action," adding, "We will review and act as needed." People Power Party lawmakers called for investigations into these allegations, while DPK members argued that the accusations were intended to undermine the special prosecutor.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor who handled the 'Coupang daily worker severance pay non-payment' case appeared and expressed his frustration. Moon Jiseok, who was in charge of the investigation at the time, testified as a witness, claiming that then-chief of the Bucheon Branch of the District Public Prosecutors' Office (now chief of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office) Eom Hee-jun pressured him to issue a non-prosecution decision. Moon, visibly emotional, said, "I wrote in the inspection report at the time, 'I am so aggrieved that I feel as if I could cough up blood and die. Please reveal who is truly at fault in this case,' but the Supreme Prosecutors' Office took no action." He added, "I felt sorrow and loneliness in challenging the organization as an individual."
These allegations first came to light when Moon revealed them at the Environment and Labor Committee's audit on the 15th. Moon claimed that Eom and then-Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Dong-hee pressured him to issue a non-prosecution decision in the Coupang case. However, Eom has denied ever giving such instructions, and the dispute over the truth continues.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter