Seoul prosecution chief says no review of dropping charges against President Lee

National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee holds national audit of Seoul Central District Prosecution Office on Monday

'Public attention is high, but this case is no different from any other,' chief says

Park Chul-woo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office, answers lawmakers' questions during a national audit held by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Monday. [Yonhap]

Park Chul-woo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office, said Monday that he has never considered withdrawing charges in the criminal cases against President Lee Jae Myung.

Park made the remarks during a national audit by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee covering the Seoul and Suwon metropolitan prosecution offices and the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office. People Power Party lawmaker Yun Sang-hyun asked whether the office had ever offered or discussed opinions with the prosecution headquarters or the Ministry of Justice regarding the withdrawal of charges against President Lee. Park replied simply, "No."

Yun then asked what Park thought of acting Justice Minister Lee Jin-su's statement that he would never order the withdrawal of charges in President Lee's cases while serving as acting minister. Park said, "I understand public attention to this case is very high, but it is no different from any other case."

Park added that "it is a matter of principle that I cannot say what will be done with any individual case, and indictment or detention decisions are not discussed at national audits for other cases either."

The audit also included questions about the authority and activities of the fact-finding team under the Ministry of Justice's Committee for Respecting Prosecutors' Human Rights and the Future of Prosecution, as well as the case review committees established at each metropolitan prosecution office.

On the activities of the fact-finding team, Park drew a line, saying he was "not involved in its work." Opposition lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns that the team's findings could be used as justification for pursuing the withdrawal of charges in President Lee's cases.

Jung Yong-hwan, acting chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Prosecution Office, was asked by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Min-jeon whether the withdrawal of charges falls within the scope of matters subject to review by the prosecution office's case review committee. Jung said the operating rules designate the filing of charges, decisions on appeals and requests for arrest warrants as subjects of review, and added that "whether the matter you mentioned falls under that scope would require further examination."

On the criticism that granting the fact-finding team investigative authority would conflict with the revised Code of Criminal Procedure, Jung said the question "appears to be something the fact-finding team and the Ministry of Justice should discuss and decide together," and that he believed "the fact-finding team will make an appropriate judgment taking such concerns into account."

Jung Yong-hwan, acting chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Prosecution Office, takes the witness oath at a national audit held by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Monday. [Yonhap]

At the same audit, Park was asked how he felt about the abolition of the prosecution service and said he "cannot help but feel a heavy heart."

People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek noted that "the name 'prosecution service' has disappeared, and this is the first national audit of the National Assembly held under the name 'prosecution office,'" adding, "I, too, feel a heavy heart."

Kwak went on to say, "Chief Park and I both worked at the prosecution service at the same time, and since this is the first national audit under the name 'prosecution office,' I would ask you to briefly share your thoughts and resolve." Kwak, a graduate of the 25th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, served as a prosecutor for about 15 years.

In response, Park said, "You mentioned feeling a heavy heart — I, too, cannot help but feel the same."

He said that "among the many functions of the prosecution service, the function of directly rooting out serious crime was a very important one — and not only is that function being eliminated, but so is the supplementary investigation function, which allowed prosecutors to review the work of primary investigative agencies such as the police and ensure nothing was lacking for the people. On top of that, even the name has become 'prosecution office,' and I feel very heavy about all of this."

He added, however, that "there is a core function the prosecution service must fulfill for the people, and my intention is to do my utmost for that purpose, for however long that may be, without dwelling on the rest."

yg@heraldcorp.com