PPP asks whether prosecutors and special counsel nominees seek to control the prosecution

South Korea’s People Power Party accused the government of revealing its alleged real purpose for dismantling the prosecution: creating a “second prosecution office” to punish political opponents.

The party made the accusation after four candidates were recommended for the first head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency. The nominees include Lee Yun-je and Moon Hong-joo, who investigated former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, as well as Kim Kwan-jung and Kim Ji-yong.

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The real purpose of dismantling the prosecution was to create a second prosecution office to punish political opponents.

In a statement, senior spokesman Park Sung-hoon said the prosecution had not been dismantled for reform serving the public. He argued that the goal was instead to seize investigative power that could be used for private retaliation and against investigations disliked by those in power.

Park said the party would examine during parliamentary confirmation hearings whether the new agency would become an independent investigative institution for the public, or a politically driven investigative body and “advance unit” for the Lee Jae-myung administration. He also highlighted that three of the four nominees are former prosecutors. Moon, the only former judge among them, worked as an assistant special counsel in the Min Joong-ki special counsel investigation.

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We will thoroughly uncover during the parliamentary confirmation hearings whether the Serious Crime Investigation Agency is an independent investigative institution for the public, or a politically driven investigative body and advance unit for the Lee Jae-myung administration.