Seo Young-kyo: "Cases Deemed Free of Suspicion Should Not Be Saddled with the Trap of a Suspension of Indictment"—A Defense of the Justice Minister Nominee

[Financial News] Seo Young-kyo, chairwoman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, emphasized on the 5th, "There should be no cases in which a suspension of indictment is used as a trap in matters that should be deemed free of suspicion, forcing the person involved to file a constitutional petition."
Seo Young-kyo's criticism of the prosecution's inappropriate practice of suspending indictments is viewed as an effort to indirectly support Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won. Kim Seung-won filed a constitutional petition in May last year after receiving a suspension of indictment over allegations that he was involved in lobbying for COVID-19 treatments. Seo Young-kyo's position is that the suspension of indictment imposed on Kim Seung-won was also unjustified.
When prosecutors suspend an indictment, they believe there is suspicion of wrongdoing but decide not to refer the suspect for trial after taking various circumstances into account. Although suspects can avoid criminal punishment, the decision may also be interpreted as meaning that investigative authorities determined that a crime had been established. For this reason, suspects are allowed to challenge the legitimacy of a suspension of indictment through a constitutional petition.
Seo Young-kyo and Kim Seung-won, a former judge, are policy allies within the Democratic Party of Korea who have jointly pursued legislation for prosecution reform and the adjustment of investigative authority. In the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, they have worked closely together while holding key positions as chairwoman and ruling-party secretary, respectively. During the National Assembly's opening ceremony on September 1, media cameras also captured Kim Seung-won sending Seo Young-kyo a Telegram message explaining his allegations that read, "Chairwoman, I am sorry."
Seo Young-kyo said it was revealed that the acceptance rate for constitutional petitions seeking the cancellation of prosecutors' suspension-of-indictment decisions had stood at approximately 16.9% over the past six years. The annual acceptance rates were 23.8% in 2020, 16.0% in 2021, 12.3% in 2022, 21.6% in 2023, 18.1% in 2024, and 10.7% in 2025. Seo Young-kyo said, "Over the past six years, the acceptance rate for constitutional petitions challenging prosecutors' suspension-of-indictment decisions was 10.7% even in the lowest year and reached as high as 23.8% in the highest year." She called for changes to prosecutorial practices involving inappropriate suspensions of indictment.
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