The Ministry of Justice on the 10th launched the Committee for a Prosecutorial Future that Respects Human Rights (Prosecutorial Future Committee), saying it would get to the bottom of the "alleged cases of human rights violations and abuse of prosecutorial power." As the first targets of inquiry, a large number of cases related to President Lee Jae-myung were included, such as the SSANGBANGWOOL remittances to North Korea case and the Daejang-dong development scandal.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutorial Future Committee will select "alleged cases of human rights violations or abuse of prosecutorial power" and have an investigative body ascertain the facts. It will also recommend measures to prevent similar cases from recurring and to provide remedies for victims.
The Prosecutorial Future Committee held its first meeting that day, selected the first cases among those surveyed, and recommended investigations. It also asked the Minister of the Ministry of Justice to have the Supreme Prosecutors' Office establish an independent investigative body.
The first cases among those surveyed selected by the Prosecutorial Future Committee are seven in total: ▲ SSANGBANGWOOL remittances to North Korea case ▲ Daejang-dong development scandal ▲ case of former Minjoo Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong ▲ Wirye New Town case ▲ West Sea public official shooting case ▲ statistical manipulation case ▲ alleged false report case on "defamation of Yoon Suk-yeol." Among these, four—the remittances to North Korea, Daejang-dong, former Deputy Director Kim Yong, and Wirye—are related to President Lee.
The chairperson of the Prosecutorial Future Committee is attorney Jang Ju-young of Neulpureun Joint Law Office. The commissioners are: ▲ attorney Kim Jin-soo of Yegang Law Firm ▲ Kim Hea-kyung, professor in the Department of Police Administration at Keimyung University ▲ Oh Byung-du, professor at the College of Law at Hongik University ▲ Oh Chang-ik, secretary-general of Human Rights Solidarity ▲ Lee Dong-yeon, managing attorney at Yijak Law Firm ▲ Hwang Sun-gi, member of the Human Rights Committee at the Korean Bar Association.
Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice said, "To move toward a better future, the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution must identify past wrongs on their own, uncover the truth, and first engage in genuine self-reflection."
Chairperson Jang said, "The committee will uncover the truth based on evidence and facts and disclose the findings to the public as they are," adding, "We will also prepare measures to prevent recurrence so that similar abuses of prosecutorial power are never repeated."