Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Justice Ministry on the 13th responded to an opposition claim that a special counsel and a parliamentary investigation are needed to explain why prosecutors decided to forgo an appeal in the "Daejang-dong development corruption case," saying, "We are ready to accept whatever decision the National Assembly makes."
At a full session of the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts the same day, Minister Jung gave this answer when Rep. Park Hyung-soo of the People Power Party asked, "If you believe, as you said, that there was no wrongdoing, shouldn't you be saying to uncover the facts, whether through a special counsel or a parliamentary investigation?"
Earlier, People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk on the 11th held an emergency on-site rally condemning the decision in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and argued in connection with prosecutors' decision to forgo an appeal in the Daejang-dong development scandal that "President Lee Jae-myung should be impeached through a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel."
Minister Jung conveyed to the prosecution, which had expressed its view in favor of appealing the Daejang-dong development scandal case, an opinion to "judge prudently." When Rep. Park asked, "The prosecution submitted an appeal opinion again on the 7th following the 6th; if you then say to judge prudently, isn't that telling them not to appeal?" Minister Jung said, "Of course, the side receiving it could take it that way."
However, "In that process, I wanted the prosecution not to follow the Minister's command but to judge based on its own authority and responsibility," adding, "If they prudently made their own judgment as asked, this would not, in fact, have become a problematic case."
The Justice Minister can direct specific cases only through the prosecutor general. In response to the criticism that the Minister "verbally directed the case through the Vice Minister of Justice," Minister Jung said, "On all matters routinely reported to the Justice Ministry, the Minister can also offer opinions."
Rep. Kim Sang-uk of the Democratic Party of Korea asked whether there was any room for misunderstanding by Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok regarding the instruction to "review prudently." Minister Jung answered, "The prosecution has a long-standing custom," and "When the Minister or higher-ups told them to judge prudently, generally they seemed to make some inference and decide."
Regarding calls from the People Power Party for the Minister to resign, Minister Jung said, "Resigning over an issue related to whether to appeal in an individual case would rather be irresponsible," adding, "With many pending issues in prosecution reform, it is difficult to step down."