Jung Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, said a National Assembly fact-finding panel is exposing what he called prosecutors’ fabricated indictments tied to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and vowed to seek a special prosecutor as soon as the panel’s work ends.
Speaking at a party leadership meeting at the Assembly on Tuesday, Jung said hearings by the special committee had “opened wide the door to the truth” that the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case was manipulated. He said the panel has issued three reports and held four hearings that revealed patterns of what he described as fabricated prosecutions.
Jung said evidence including recordings, Excel files and alleged manipulation of statements has emerged, and that the committee confirmed “clear” signs of direction or involvement at the administration level across the cases it reviewed. He said he was “shaking with anger” at what he called state violence aimed at a single person and actions that trampled democracy, the rule of law and the constitutional order.
Saying the committee’s work has brought the public closer to the truth, Jung said the full scope of the allegations must be uncovered and those responsible punished. He said the party would, as promised, move quickly to launch a special prosecutor immediately after the committee wraps up to “reveal all the truth” and bring those responsible before the courts.
Jung also criticized the outcome of an appeals court ruling involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, who on April 28 was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 50 million won. He said the long-running Deutsche Motors case had resulted in a guilty verdict, but called the decision “far removed” from public sentiment.
He said allegations that Kim improperly intervened in the People Power Party’s nomination process were not recognized as any offense. He also said he could not accept the appeals court’s decision to consider sentencing factors such as a first offense, age and health.
Jung noted that a second-instance verdict was scheduled Tuesday in Yoon’s case on charges of obstructing the execution of official duties. Calling it the first ruling since a special court division focused on insurrection cases was formed, he said he hoped for a decision that would restore the rule of law. He added that he would seek to fully uncover what he called the truth about “insurrection, foreign collusion and state-affairs meddling” by Yoon and Kim and ensure accountability in court.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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