Minister Jeong Seong-ho: "We Will Fully Support the Parliamentary Investigation into the Prosecution"

According to The Financial News, Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho said of the "Investigation of State Administration to uncover the truth behind the alleged fabricated indictments by the political prosecution under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration," "Many citizens have doubts about whether the investigations at that time were conducted appropriately, so we will do our utmost to cooperate so that the substantive truth can be fully revealed."
On the 3rd, Jeong wrote on his Facebook page, "From today, a parliamentary Investigation of State Administration will begin to clarify alleged illegalities surrounding various investigations under the previous administration," announcing the start of the inquiry.
Regarding criticism from some in the ruling camp that the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has been lukewarm about uncovering the truth behind the so-called "salmon and liquor party" persuasion allegations and disciplining those involved, Jeong dismissed the claim as "groundless."
He explained, "Last year, the MOJ set up a special inspection team on the so-called 'Suwon District Prosecutors' Office salmon sashimi and drinking party' allegations and closely reviewed the entire investigation process, producing a report running to about 1,600 pages," adding, "Based on that, in September last year we issued a special directive to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea to conduct a fact-finding investigation, and the inspection being carried out by the task force (TF) formed within the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office is now in its final stage."
He went on, "Most of the facts currently known are based on this work," and added, "It is inconsistent to take facts uncovered by the MOJ and then question the ministry's willingness or ability to conduct inspections."
He also rejected as untrue the claim raised in some quarters that the Director of the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office was bypassed.
Jeong stated, "Under the minister's authority to direct prosecutorial affairs, inspections have already been under way since last year, so it does not accord with legal principles or common sense to argue that the approval of a subordinate, the Director of the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, is required."
He added, "Disciplinary action or criminal complaints are not completed by loud and sensational calls, but by clear facts, solid evidence, and sound legal reasoning that support them."
On criticism that it is inappropriate for Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who is at the center of the allegations, to appear on outside broadcasts and offer his own explanations, Jeong said, "During prosecution reform in 2018, we changed the procedure for individual prosecutors' media interviews from a prior approval system to a prior notification system," and continued, "Although the prosecutor's conduct is indeed inappropriate, there is no need to break the principles of reform that we ourselves established because of the actions of one or two individuals."
Jeong also attended the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea's briefing session for the Investigation of State Administration that day, where he explained the status of the investigation and prosecution related to the "salmon and liquor party" persuasion allegations, and said, "We will actively cooperate with the Investigation of State Administration to be conducted in the National Assembly and do our best to dispel public doubts."


kyu0705@fnnews.com Kim Dong-gyu Reporter