With the Ministry of Justice suspending the duties of Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who investigated the "SSANGBANGWOOL remittance-to-North Korea case," the People Power Party on the 7th summoned Park to the National Assembly and held a solo hearing.
The hearing was held separately at the same time as the parliamentary inquiry led by the Democratic Party of Korea into the "Yoon Suk-yeol administration's political prosecutors and fabricated indictment allegations," which was taking place at the National Assembly. People Power Party lawmakers participating in the inquiry exited after protest remarks and then moved to hold a hearing on "cancellation of indictment and fabrication of trial facts."
At the hearing was Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who had appeared as a witness before the special committee for the inquiry but was not given a chance to speak. Earlier, Park refused to take the witness oath at the special committee last week and tried to explain the reason after being given a chance to speak, but Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party, the committee's chairperson, did not give the floor and expelled Park.
Park said, "I have never refused to testify and have always taken the oath. The reason I have remained a prosecutor for 15 years is to block this kind of lawless indictment cancellation driven by those in power," adding, "But I learned of a scenario in which the current inquiry would file criminal complaints accusing me of perjury and then launch a special counsel to cancel the indictment of President Lee Jae-myung. So I had no choice but to refuse the oath."
Regarding the Ministry of Justice's decision the previous day to suspend Park from duty, Park said, "I did not receive notice that disciplinary proceedings had begun, nor did I receive notice of what disciplinary charges led to the suspension," and, on the failure to select key witnesses related to the remittance-to-North Korea case for the special committee, answered, "I think that is highly problematic."
On the remittance case, Park said, "It has been finalized by a Supreme Court ruling that former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young had $8 million paid on his behalf through SSANGBANGWOOL," adding, "It was also acknowledged that the funds were expenses related to Gyeonggi Province and then-Governor Lee Jae-myung's planned visit to North Korea. It is a problem for the National Assembly to deny a finalized ruling without a retrial process."
Park added, "I think the ongoing discussion about canceling the indictment is a shortcut to destroying the rule of law," and said, "The remittance to the North could not have been pursued solely by a subordinate with final approval without Governor Lee Jae-myung's knowledge. There is a lot of evidence to prove this."
Park said, "Attorney Seo Min-seok, counsel for the former vice governor, said at the time that Governor Lee Jae-myung was the principal offender and asked that they be downgraded to accessories so they could be effectively released," adding, "It is an indisputable fact that Attorney Seo Min-seok's side came with a kind of 'deal,' hoping the former vice governor would be charged as an accessory."
Park said, "The former vice governor acted as an organ of Governor Lee Jae-myung at the time. If they say (they) did not know about the SSANGBANGWOOL remittance-to-North Korea allegations, then there must be circumstances or evidence showing the organ deceived its head for the grounds of the president's guilt to collapse," adding, "All the evidence pointed to former Governor Lee Jae-myung, and the circumstances were sufficient."
At the hearing, lawmaker Na Kyung-won said, "The People Power Party participated in an unlawful parliamentary inquiry that should never have been born in the first place to prevent the complete distortion and misleading of facts, but as soon as the inquiry began, the Democratic Party launched, in a word, a 'set-answer show' to wipe away the president's crimes," adding, "The inquiry the Democratic Party is conducting is, in short, a crime of abuse of power committed in collusion by all Democratic Party lawmakers."
Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said, "Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea clearly states, 'The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic,' but looking at the current situation, it has become 'The Republic of Korea is the Democratic Party republic,'" adding, "The Democratic Party has completely wrecked the rule of law, the most basic element of republicanism."
The Democratic Party downplayed the People Power Party's solo hearing summoning Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, saying it "plainly reveals a criminal nature intent on amplifying Prosecutor Park Sang-yong's false scheme."
Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-a said, "The hearing conducted by the People Power Party has no legal basis and is illegal," adding, "If Prosecutor Park Sang-yong and People Power Party lawmakers defame others or spread false information, we will take immediate legal action."