[단독] Bum-gye Park stands in court as’accused of violence’ right after hearing

Candidate Park Bum-gye, the Minister of Justice, will appear in court on the 27th as a defendant in the 2019 National Assembly fast track assault case. Until then, the procedure for the National Assembly’s personnel hearing is expected to be over, so there is a possibility that the incumbent Minister of Justice will be the first to be a criminal accused. When Candidate Park was nominated as a candidate for the Minister of Justice on the 30th of last month, there was a high possibility of a conflict of interest.

According to the JoongAng Ilbo report, the Seoul Southern District Act will open a trial date on the 27th at 2 pm on the charges of violating the law on punishment such as violent acts (joint assault). Candidate Park previously attended the first trial held on September 23 last year as a lawmaker. Candidate Park can apply for a change of the trial date this time, but it is reported that he has not applied until this day.

The trial may be held just before Park takes office as President Moon Jae-in delays the award of the appointment. On the 6th, President Moon submitted a request for a personnel hearing for Park candidate to the National Assembly. According to the Personnel Hearing Act, the National Assembly must complete the personnel hearing within 20 days. Therefore, the political and legal circles expect that Park will hold a personnel hearing on the 21st or 25th and take office within this month. As the Minister of Justice’s first job, he has to greet the self-assessment prosecutor on February 1, so he has to take office as soon as possible.

Former and incumbent prosecutors pointed out that the appearance of the incumbent Justice Minister attending the court as a defendant would appear to the public as a conflict of interest. It is questionable whether the minister, who has the power of personnel at the prosecution, will give a fair greeting to the prosecutors and prosecutors who have prosecuted him. The Prosecutors’ Office Act requires the Minister of Justice to submit prosecutors’ personnel to the President.

In December 1999, six months after Kim Tae-jeong, former Minister of Justice, was arrested by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in December 1999 by leaking the original report on the results of the clothes lobby of the Sajik-dong team at the Blue House, but the incumbent minister said it was difficult to find cases.

Prosecutors at the front line said, “Prosecutors who investigated living power in the current government were undoubtedly relegated. Prosecutors who have to prosecute the case of candidates for the minister or incumbent ministers will have no choice but to feel the burden.” Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, a former prosecutor, said on social media last month, “As far as I can remember, there is no precedent for a criminal defendant to be appointed by past presidents. As a result, President Moon does not approve of prosecution charges against candidate Park. Criticized.

Candidate Park was prosecuted in January last year for jointly assaulting a member of the Liberal Korean Party (now the power of the people) who blocked the front of the conference room of the National Assembly No. 628 of the Science and Technology Information Broadcasting and Communication Committee on April 26, 2019. It was a time when the women and nights clashed over the designation of the amendment to the election law including the interlocked proportional representation system and the establishment of a high-ranking public officials criminal investigation office (airborne) as a fast-track treatment bill. At that time, Korean party lawmakers occupied the agendas and offices of the National Assembly, the Special Committee on Judicial Reform (Special Commission), and the meeting room of the Special Committee on Political Reform (Junggae Special Commission) to prevent the filing of the bill. . Both sides followed suit and accusation.

The prosecution prosecuted 37 people, including 27 officials from the Korean Party, including representatives of the Free Korea Party at the time of Hwang Gyo-an, and 10 Democrats including lawmakers Lee Jong-geol and Park Beom-gye. In light of his back, he said, “I was sentenced to imprisonment.” Candidate Park refuted the prosecution’s prosecution, saying, “I am very sorry for the mechanical and formal prosecution.”

Reporter Jung Yujin [email protected]