Lee Young-rim, the chief prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office, criticized the Constitutional Court, which is reviewing the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol, saying it is “worse than the Japanese judges under Japanese rule.”
On the 12th, Chief Prosecutor Lee posted an article titled “Watching the Constitutional Court Worse Than Japanese Judges Under Japanese Rule” on the prosecution’s internal network, e-PROS.
He mentioned the case of An Jung-geun, who was arrested for assassinating Ito Hirobumi and delivered his final statement for 1 hour and 30 minutes during his trial, criticizing Judge Moon Hyung-bae for ignoring President Yoon’s request for three minutes to speak following a witness examination during the sixth hearing, saying “No, go back.”
He further criticized the Constitutional Court, saying that as one of the constitutional institutions of South Korea, it is conducting the impeachment trial related to the president’s insurrection charges while even blocking a mere three-minute explanation opportunity from the president, the respondent, and prohibiting the president from directly examining witnesses.
He also noted, “This attitude starkly contrasted with granting additional opportunities to present opinions in response to the demands of the petitioner, Representative Jung Chung-rae, on the same day.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee said, “I thought the attitude of a judge who has no respect for the procedure or mental composure is worse than that of Japanese judges under colonial rule, and I felt it was a disgraceful image of a constitutional institution in 21st-century Korea.” He questioned, “Isn’t listening a basic qualification for legal professionals who judge others’ lives?”
He stated, “Even in criminal trials, there are opportunities for direct witness examination, and no matter how much I try to understand, from my perspective, it is hard to find a reasonable reason for prohibiting this in constitutional trials.”
He expressed concern, saying, “The current Constitutional Court, already under suspicion for the partiality of some judges, is proceeding with procedural and evidential issues in its own way and interpretation. I’m worried that the Constitutional Court might be subject to public judgment for anti-constitutional or illegal acts.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee, from Gangneung, Gangwon Province, passed the 40th bar exam in 1998 and completed his training at the Judicial Research and Training Institute as part of its 30th class. He has served in various roles, including as the head of the Criminal Division 6 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the human rights supervisor at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, and the deputy chief prosecutor at the Cheongju District Prosecutors’ Office. He was promoted to chief prosecutor in September 2023 and was appointed deputy chief prosecutor at the Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office. Since May last year, he has been serving as the chief prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office.