Passport’heavy water office’ speed battle… Yun, spurs the conclusion of the regime investigation

The next 148 days. This is the remaining term of prosecutor general Yoon Seok-yeol. Yoon, who took office on July 23, 2019, is scheduled to retire on July 24. Inside and outside the prosecution, it is expected that the second half of Yun’s tenure, which remains five months remaining, will not be smooth. The recent issue of the establishment of the’Severe Crime Investigation Office’ (hereinafter referred to as the Heavy Water Office) to completely abolish the prosecution’s right to investigate is the last time bomb for political power that shakes the second half of Yoon’s term. Passports are predicted to be installed as the prosecution reform season 2 following the establishment of the airlift. According to the amendment to the Prosecutors’ Office Act, which took effect in January this year, the prosecution has the right to investigate six major crimes, including corruption crimes, economic crimes, election crimes, defense project crimes, crimes of public officials, and major disasters. However, when the heavy water office is established, all these criminal investigation authorities will also leave the hands of the prosecution. The passport side is making the logic that the installation of the heavy water office will complete the complete separation of the investigation and prosecution.

Members of the ruling party who are pursuing this bill, such as Hwang Unha and Kim Nam-guk, propose legislation in early March and aim to pass the National Assembly in the first half of this year (in June). The passage of the bill was announced just a month before Yoon’s retirement. When the bill is handled, the prosecution remains as a prosecution or prosecution agency dedicated to prosecution and maintenance of prosecution. Considering the grace period for enforcement of the law, the prosecution’s right to investigate does not disappear immediately. However, Yun may be the last prosecutor general who has the same practical authority as he is now.

Prosecutors’ organization may oppose the promotion of the Heavy Water Agency

It is reported that the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on the 26th sent an official letter to the front-line prosecutors’ office requesting the collection of opinions on the bill related to the establishment of the Heavy Water Office at the request of the Ministry of Justice. There is a possibility that there will be a full-fledged systematic backlash within the prosecution at the time of the conclusion of opinion gathering. Inside and outside the prosecution, some argue that the passage of the heavy water agency bill should be prevented even if Yun takes the post. It is known that Yun is considering whether to express his position. An attorney from a prosecution said, “Negative public opinion will be overwhelming within the prosecution. This atmosphere is expected to give strength to President Yoon’s expression of opposition to the heavy water administration.” Another lawyer from the prosecutor’s office said, “It is not very important whether Yun is completing his term of office or not. It is time to speak up as the head of the prosecution against the passport that intends to deprive the remaining investigative authority.”

As high-level prosecutors’ officials decided to stay on the command line in major cases on the 7th, the results of their investigations are expected to be another spark that will lead to a conflict between the Blue House, passports, and the prosecution. Channel A suspicion investigation (Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office, Byun Pil-gun), Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant economic evaluation suspicion case (Lee Sang-hyun, Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office, 5 detectives), Kim Hak-eui’s illegal withdrawal case (Lee Jung-seop, Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office, 3 detectives), Ulsan mayoral election Suspicion of involvement (Second Head of Public Investigation, Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office, Kwon Sangdae). It is expected to speed up the investigation to complete the investigation as soon as possible within the five-month remaining term of President Yoon. A representative of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said, “Apart from the term of President Yoon’s term, the remaining investigations will proceed according to the set schedule.”

The investigation of the Wolseong nuclear power plant began in October last year with an accusation from the power of the people. On the 9th of the next month, five months later, the trial of officials of the Ministry of Industry, who were prosecuted, begins.

First trial of’Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant’ on the 9th of next month

Investigations remain on key figures, including former Minister Paik Woon-gyu and Chae Hee-bong, former Blue House industrial policy secretary (currently the president of Korea Gas Corporation). Baek is accused of instructing officials from the Ministry of Industry to directly manipulate the economic feasibility of the Wolseong nuclear power plant. On the 9th, the court dismissed the arrest warrant for Baek on the grounds that the alleged crime was not sufficiently clarified. A summons investigation of former secretary Chae is scheduled to find out the link with the upper line of the Blue House. If the prosecution prosecutes the former secretary Chae, it could end up sparking the presidential responsibility. This can be a big burden for President Moon Jae-in’s state administration in the future.

In March 2019, the investigation team for alleged external pressure in the case of the illegal departure of Kim Hak-eui, former Vice Minister of Justice, is also concentrating its investigative power to uncover the circumstances of the involvement of “supervisors” such as Lee Gwang-cheol, Blue House Civil Service Secretary, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Lee Seong-yoon. The investigation team has already summoned Cha Gyu-geun, head of the Immigration and Foreigner Policy Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, and Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won, who was a member of the past photographic investigation team of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office at the time, as a “suspect”. The remaining ambush is Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon. Prosecutor Lee, who was the chief prosecutor’s anti-corruption force at the time, did not respond to the notification of the summons of the investigation team and submitted a written statement stating that “I have never prevented an illegal withdrawal investigation.” In connection with the investigation of the Channel A case, the issue of handling recruits by Prosecutors Officer Lee, who did not accept the conclusion of no charge against Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, is a key issue that will induce internal conflict within the prosecution.

The investigation of the Ulsan mayoral election intervention case is also noted. It is known that the prosecution temporarily decided to prosecute Lee Jin-seok, chief of the Blue House State Affairs Office. At the time of the 2018 local election, Mr. Lee was charged with intervening in the design of the election pledge of Ulsan Mayor Song Chul-ho as a social policy secretary at the Blue House (in violation of the Public Official Election Act). The investigation team summoned Mr. Lee as a suspect on the 23rd of last month, and Mr. Lee recently expressed his gratitude. The trial against 13 people, including Rep. Hwang Unha, Song Cheol-ho, Mayor of Ulsan, and former civil administration secretary Won-woo Baek, who were already prosecuted in January last year, has been sluggish due to the aftermath of Corona 19 and the issue of revising the list of evidence by the lawyers. Although the passport is one of the cases in which the prosecution’s political intentions are questioned, the first trial sentence may not be issued until Yun’s resignation.

Reporter Ko Seong-pyo [email protected]