[News Today] TOP PROSECUTOR WAS BYPASSED

[LEAD]
The Prosecutor General, Lee One-seok, was only informed about the questioning of First Lady Kim towards the end of the investigation. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office claimed that General Lee doesn't have the authority to direct the "stock manipulation case," However he has been the one consistently emphasizing principles, stirring quite a bit of debate.

[REPORT]

Prosecutors' questioning of First Lady Kim Keon-hee was reported to Prosecutor General Lee One-seok at around 11:16 p.m. Saturday.
It was nearly ten hours after the questioning had begun.

An official at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said the top prosecutor had not received a report about when and how to summon the first lady in advance and that he had been told about it unilaterally around the time when the questioning was wrapping up.

Lee has been stressing that the summons and questioning of the first lady should be determined in accordance with legal principles.

Lee One-seok/ Prosecutor General (June 3)
There is no exception or preferential treatment before law. We should adhere
to such principles and standards.

As Kim was summoned and questioned by prosecutors in a manner different from Lee's stance even without a prior report to him, it has sparked controversy over the bypassing of the prosecutor general

An official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office explained that the Deutsch Motors case involving the first lady is an issue that must not be reported to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The official said that the top prosecutor has no right to command investigations, as during the Moon Jae-in administration, then Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae blocked then Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol from directing the probe into the Deutsch Motors case.

He added that they had to report the first lady's questioning to Lee after a probe into a luxury handbag scandal surrounding Kim began.

Lee Chang-soo/ Head, Seoul Central Dist. Prosecutors' Office (May 16)
(Is it possible to summon and question First Lady?) I can‘t talk about the details.
But I will take measures necessary for the investigation.

Prosecutor General Lee is known to be pondering over the situation.

There are predictions that this will likely cause possible repercussions such as the top prosecutor' offer to resign, as controversy brewed over the Justice Ministry's prosecutorial personnel reshuffle, which was apparently carried out without prior discussions with him.

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