People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek said Thursday that the Ministry of Justice's inspection committee should not proceed with disciplinary action against Incheon District Prosecutors Office deputy chief prosecutor Park Sang-yong, calling the review "an unreasonable disciplinary push — nothing more than a smear campaign."

Kwak made the remarks on SBS Radio, saying "the reason they are going after Prosecutor Park so relentlessly is that the Democratic Party wants to unilaterally claim it was a fabricated indictment." Park faced a disciplinary review that day over allegations including the use of social media during work hours.

Kwak said the Democratic Party "wants to conclude, while still in office, that the final ruling against former Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young was the result of a wrongful indictment," adding that "because that has not gone as planned, it appears they are pressing ahead with this unreasonable disciplinary process."

He said Park "posted rebuttals to baseless claims made by the opposing side in a case he himself prosecuted, so disciplinary action is simply unthinkable," and argued that "while it appears there has been pressure from the ruling party and the government, it would be better to cancel these unreasonable disciplinary proceedings even now."

Kwak also said the disciplinary issue against Park "originated from the outlandish claim by former Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young about a so-called 'salmon sashimi drinking party,'" noting that "the National Assembly's fact-finding process has established that no such party took place." He criticized the ministry for pressing ahead despite the collapse of that premise. "The Justice Ministry's disciplinary proceedings against Prosecutor Park were launched on the assumption that the salmon sashimi drinking party happened — now that the whole thing has fallen apart, they want to discipline him simply for posting on social media," he said.

He went on to say that "the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office are probably watching the president's reaction, and the ruling party, being in the middle of its leadership election, is also watching — which is why they seem to be rushing the disciplinary process." He added that "the public knows Prosecutor Park's account is credible and that the disciplinary action is excessive."

On Democratic Party leadership candidate Kim Min-seok's remark that "fabricated indictments should in principle be withdrawn," Kwak said it was "contrary to common sense and disrespectful," adding that "in the cases claimed to involve fabricated indictments, there has been no confirmation that any fabrication actually occurred."


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