Hong Joon-pyo: Democratic Party's election failure due to 'charge withdrawal special prosecutor' proposal

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo believes the Democratic Party's failure to secure a decisive victory in the recent elections stemmed from their controversial proposal for a special prosecutor to withdraw charges.

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The Democratic Party's failure to achieve an overwhelming victory seems to be due to the special prosecutor for withdrawing charges.

Hong stated on social media that the public's negative reaction to the Democratic Party's sudden push for the special prosecutor likely cost them votes. He argued that the People Power Party had already endured significant public backlash, making the Democrats' move seem out of place and counterproductive.

He further elaborated that complex cases, like the slot machine incident, were resolved with a small team of prosecutors in a couple of months. In contrast, he noted, over 200 prosecutors were mobilized for over a year to target a single individual, questioning if it was a politically motivated investigation or an excessive prosecution.

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The public seems to have reacted negatively to the Democratic Party, which suddenly brought up a special prosecutor for withdrawing charges, after the People Power Party had already taken all the hits.

Hong contended that an internal investigation by the prosecution itself would have been sufficient to determine if prosecutorial power was abused. He asserted that withdrawing charges should only occur if such an abuse is confirmed internally, deeming the National Assembly's pursuit of a special prosecutor for this purpose illogical.

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It was unprecedented in history for over 200 prosecutors to be mobilized for over a year to catch one person, and whether it was a political revenge investigation or an excessive prosecution could have been sufficiently clarified through an internal special audit by the prosecution itself.

Concluding, Hong expressed admiration for the public's balanced decision, which he felt created a new political landscape. He urged both ruling and opposition parties to prioritize the nation's interests in their governance.

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If the internal audit results show an abuse of prosecutorial power, then charges should be withdrawn; pursuing it as a special prosecutor in the National Assembly was nonsensical from the start.