Attorney General Lee Won-seok answers questions from reporters as he arrives at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. Reporter Kim Young-won forever@hani.co.kr
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‘Attorney General Lee Won-seok publicly criticized the investigation team regarding the failure to conduct and report the investigation of Kim Geun-hee, the wife of the president, and apologized to the public. While Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Lee Chang-su apologized to the Attorney General, the chief prosecutor of the investigation team submitted a protest resignation, escalating the conflict between the prosecution headquarters and the investigation team. The Attorney General has instructed the Inspection Department of the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the oversight related to the report.’,
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“On the morning of the 22nd, Attorney General Lee Won-seok met with reporters as he arrived at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office and said, ‘The principles were not followed during the investigation of the President’s wife, and promises to the public were not kept.’ He stated, ‘I deeply apologize to the public.’ He added, ‘I have repeatedly emphasized to the public that there are no exceptions, privileges, or sanctuaries before the law. I have not received any reports from the local prosecutors’ office, but I think it is all my responsibility for not leading properly.'”,
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“Subsequently, the Attorney General summoned Chief Prosecutor Lee to receive a report on the investigation of Mrs. Kim and strongly criticized him. Chief Prosecutor Lee apologized to the Attorney General several times. The Attorney General also instructed the Inspection Department of the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the oversight related to the report. This is a kind of preliminary investigation carried out to determine whether to initiate a full inspection. However, the Prosecutor’s Office explained that the purpose is to verify the facts reported by the Chief Prosecutor and it is not the stage of initiating an inspection against the Chief Prosecutor.”,
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“Internally in the prosecution, there was generally a strong response that it was a problem that the Attorney General did not inform the investigation involving the wife of the incumbent President, which was the first time in the history of constitutional cases in Korea. A prosecutor working outside the capital region said to Hankyoreh, ‘Omitting the report is inappropriate. It is a matter that the Attorney General would find unbelievable. A bad precedent has been set.’ He added, ‘The most important thing is to reach a conclusion well. By conducting investigations in a way that does not raise suspicions of favoritism, regardless of what the conclusion may be (the Attorney General) seems to be worrying that there may be controversy regarding the investigation results.'”,
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“However, the investigation team resisted. In particular, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Kyung-mok, who was investigating the luxury handbag gifts suspicion involving Mrs. Kim, submitted a protest resignation on this day. He was dispatched from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Criminal Fair Trade Division to lead the special investigation team on the luxury handbag gifts suspicion based on the instructions of the Attorney General. During the investigation of Mrs. Kim on the 20th, the Attorney General received a report at 11:20 pm, after 10 hours since the start of the investigation, sparking controversy about ‘passing the buck’ within the prosecution. The Attorney General emphasized ‘investigations without sanctuaries’ and took the position that Mrs. Kim should be summoned for questioning at the Prosecutors’ Office, while the Chief Prosecutor argued for the possibility of conducting the interrogation at a third location, citing ‘consultation with the Presidential Office,’ leading to differing views. It is commonly interpreted that the Chief Prosecutor decided not to inform the Attorney General in advance to facilitate the investigation of Mrs. Kim after consultation with the Presidential Office. The Attorney General, after receiving a post-facto report that he interrogated Mrs. Kim at an auxiliary facility of the Security Office in Changseong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, expressed discomfort to those around him and even considered resigning.”,
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