Justice Minister nominee Lee Yong-cheol says, “I’ll speak tomorrow,” when asked about directing the withdrawal of indictments in Lee’s cases

[Financial News] Justice Minister nominee Lee Yong-cheol avoided giving a direct answer on the 10th when reporters asked whether he would be willing to direct the withdrawal of indictments in criminal cases involving President Lee Jae Myung. After not clearly ruling out the possibility the previous day, he again declined to state a specific position.
At around 8:11 a.m. on the 10th, while heading to work at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration inside Government Complex Gwacheon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Lee met with reporters. Asked, “Would you be willing to direct the withdrawal of the indictments after seeing the results of the fact-finding?” he replied, “The preparatory team’s office should be ready tomorrow, so I’ll speak then.”
He did not answer questions including, “What do you think of criticism of the special counsel investigation into fabricated indictments itself?” and, “How do you assess the investigations into Daejang-dong and Ssangbangwool, among others?”
The previous day, Lee had also declined to clearly rule out the possibility of directing the withdrawal of indictments during an exchange with reporters on his way to work. He said, “The President proposed to the National Assembly that the special counsel focus solely on uncovering the facts, and the National Assembly enacted the special counsel law accordingly,” adding, “From now on, I think it is right to focus solely on uncovering the facts.”
He added, “The remaining matter (withdrawing the indictments) should be handled in accordance with the law and principles.”
Under current law, the Justice Minister may direct and supervise only the Prosecutor General in specific cases. This has drawn attention to whether Lee might direct the withdrawal of indictments after taking office if the special counsel investigation confirms illegality in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving President Lee.
Former Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho previously ruled out the possibility of withdrawing indictments in President Lee’s cases while in office, saying, “I have never considered it and have no intention of directing it.” Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Kim Seung-won, whose nomination for justice minister fell through, also said, “Not only do I lack direct authority, but I have no intention at present of directing it through the Prosecutor General either.”
Meanwhile, a series of allegations about Lee’s personal affairs have also been raised.
Yu Dong-gyu, a former head and a key figure in the Daejang-dong case, alleged that he had once played poker with Lee at a restaurant serving boiled chicken, with several million won at stake. Lee responded the previous day, calling it “a very malicious smear” and saying, “I have never gambled with large sums of money at stake.”
Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party also alleged that Lee had installed an illegal container on farmland in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, and failed to properly report his assets.
In a statement issued on the 10th, Lee’s confirmation hearing preparatory team said, “We acquired the farmland to farm on weekends and are growing crops there with our family,” adding that the structure is a legally permitted farm hut.
Regarding the allegation that he omitted assets from his declaration, Lee explained that he had reported them when he initially registered his assets but failed to file an extension declaration by the deadline after his appointment last November.
 
[email protected] Choi Eun-sol Reporter