Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu, whose arrest warrant was dismissed for allegations involved in the operation of the economic feasibility evaluation of the Wolseong Unit 1 nuclear power plant, is leaving the Daejeon Detention Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon on the morning of the 9th. yunhap news
The court dismissed the warrant of arrest of former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Woon-gyu, who was involved in the suspicion of manipulating the economic feasibility of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1. The reason for dismissal is that it is not enough to say that the allegations of abuse of authority and obstruction of work have been sufficiently fulfilled, and that there is room for dispute over the allegations. For the prosecution, it became difficult to avoid pointing out that the investigation was insolvent or that the arrest warrant was unreasonably requested. Of course, the prosecution’s investigation to expand to former and current members of the Blue House was put on a brake.
The suspicion of the 1st Wolseong nuclear power plant is that the Ministry of Industry and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, under the direction of the Blue House, shut down the operation early due to the operation of economic evaluation that lowered the utilization rate of nuclear power plants and the cost of sales. The suspicion revealed in the audit of the auditor led to an investigation by the prosecution, but the controversy over the appropriateness of touching the area of policy judgment did not cease. The fact that the post-nuclear war is a task of President Moon Jae-in’s state affairs adds to the sensitivity, and the ruling ruling party launched a wave of offensive against’Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol’.
For the prosecution, the arrest of former Minister Baek was a watershed when the investigation crossed the threshold of the Blue House. It is because the former and current Blue House officials who intervened in the early closure process by law, like former Minister Baek, are accomplices of ex officio abuse. Chae Hee-bong, former industrial policy secretary, and Kim Soo-hyun, former chief of society, are also said to be coming up and down. However, due to the dismissal of the warrant, not only the investigative prosecution but also General Yoon Seok-yeol, who took the case directly after returning to work, was in a perplexing position. Right now, the Democratic Party is fiercely criticizing the political investigation for immediate cessation. Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun also pointed out that “if the standards of the law are put to the right and wrong in the direction of national policy, public officials cannot work with confidence.”
Although the investigation power will be reduced, the prosecution is expected to maintain the criminal framework that has already been established. After the warrant was dismissed, he said, “We plan to investigate more thoroughly.” Illegality is the subject of judicial judgment, and as the opposition party demands, there should not be a single step back in finding the truth. However, the prosecution should also keep in mind that the legitimacy of an unreasonable investigation into a policy-making process whose boundaries are unclear may be questioned.
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