Yun Ho-jung on controversy over investigative agency chiefs attending State Council meetings: “Did the Prosecution Service maintain political neutrality?”

[Financial News]  

On the 26th, Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung pushed back against the opposition’s criticism that the presence of investigative agency chiefs at State Council meetings could undermine political neutrality, asking, “Did the Prosecution Service maintain political neutrality during the 25 years when the prosecutor general did not attend State Council meetings?” His point was that transparently disclosing the relationship between investigative agencies and those in power matters more than whether they attend State Council meetings.
Minister Yun made the remarks during a comprehensive parliamentary inspection by the National Assembly’s Security and Public Administration Committee that day, after People Power Party lawmaker Kang Myeong-gu took issue with Kim Ji-hoon, head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, and Kim Jongcheol, acting commissioner of the Korean National Police Agency, attending State Council meetings.
Lawmaker Kang argued that the agency chiefs should be barred from attending, saying that if their taking dictation of the president’s instructions were broadcast live, the public could worry about biased investigations.
Kang said, “The minister of the Interior and Safety should be the one to stop this. It has never happened once in 25 years,” adding, “Why do you think previous administrations didn’t invite them? It didn’t happen even under the left-wing administrations of Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in.”
Minister Yun retorted, “I don’t agree. The issue is transparency. If the heads of investigative agencies must not be subject to outside pressure, then they shouldn’t be allowed to appear here (at this parliamentary inspection) either.” He added, “This isn’t a matter of deciding whether attending State Council meetings or not attending them is more conducive to maintaining political neutrality and impartiality in investigations.”
Minister Yun stressed, “The problem lies with those in power, who have freely pulled the strings of investigative agencies through the justice minister, or through the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs or the senior secretary for special affairs, without ever having them attend a State Council meeting.” He added, “I cannot agree with calling a government wrong when it has declared that it will act openly and not behind the scenes.”
 In December last year, President Lee Jae-myung instructed external agencies affiliated with ministries to attend State Council meetings unless there were special circumstances. Kim received an appointment letter on the 19th and attended a State Council meeting on the 20th.
Meanwhile, responding to media reports that some ministers had voiced concern about the live broadcasts of State Council meetings at a gathering at the prime minister’s official residence, Minister Yun said, “I got there about 20 minutes before the gathering ended, so I didn’t hear what had been discussed earlier.”

[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter