"No Circumstantial Evidence So Far. If Necessary, the Investigation Should Be Conducted by the CIO," Lee Jun-seok Responds to Allegation of Instigating Prosecution

[경향신문]

People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok (right) and one of the party’s presidential candidates, former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl answer questions from the press after a private meeting at Lee’s office in the National Assembly on September 6. National Assembly press photographers

People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok responded to the allegation that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl instigated prosecution and said, “When the results of the inspection (by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office) comes out, they should release it to the people. And if there are some questionable areas, an investigation could be conducted.” He also named the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) as the agency suitable to conduct the investigation.

Lee appeared on Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show on CBS radio this morning and said, “When the Prosecution Service put its mind to it, they could conduct an inspection in a day or two (when Choo Mi-ae served as the justice minister). Even now, if they clearly identify the truth swiftly, they could avoid unnecessary arguments.”

According to Lee, the most important issue is whether the person that created the document was a Prosecution Service insider. He said, “When Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo conducts an inspection and verifies whether the document was reported to or created by a certain person, at least the explanations (by related parties) can be clearer.”

Lee also mentioned the possibility of an investigation if suspicions remained unanswered by the inspection results and said, “Since there is a mention of an incumbent prosecutor, (if an investigation is conducted), it would be right for the CIO to handle it.” Lee further said, “However, if the investigation is not conducted swiftly or is expanded excessively, it could become a political issue.” In this aspect, the leader of the main opposition party asked the CIO to take caution.

Lee said that former Prosecutor General Yoon briefly explained his position in a private meeting with Lee the previous day. Lee said, “He said that he was clean and had nothing to be ashamed of,” and added, “He also mentioned that the format of the report did not seem to be one written by a prosecutor.”

If the allegation is true, Lee said, “It would leave a fatal blow on Yoon’s political career,” but he also said, “So far there are no circumstances that suggest any such thing.”