President Lee Urges Accountability from Prosecutors, Cautions Against Errors

President Lee Jae-myung stated on June 2 that "any organization should apologize and retract if it makes a mistake."

During a Cabinet meeting and emergency economic assessment session at the Blue House, President Lee made these comments after receiving a report from Acting Prosecutor General Koo Ja-hyun on the government's achievements in its first year. He cautioned, "We must not fall into the trap of believing we are infallible."

He emphasized, "It applies to any organization that if they make a mistake, they should apologize and retract their actions."

President Lee described the prosecution as a "quasi-public, quasi-judicial organization with public duties," asserting that it wields significant power and must bear corresponding responsibilities. However, he did not specify any particular instances where an apology or retraction would be necessary.

His remarks were interpreted as a reference to the Democratic Party's push for the dismissal of prosecutions. Ahead of the June 3 local elections, the party has proposed a bill to establish a special prosecutor to grant authority to cancel related prosecutions.

President Lee expressed gratitude for the prosecution's efforts over the past year, saying, "I know the prosecution has been under a lot of pressure lately, but I appreciate the results they have achieved despite that."

In response, Han Dong-hoon, an independent candidate running in the Busan North Gap by-election, criticized the president's comments on Facebook, asking, "What are you suggesting should be canceled?" He claimed the remarks were a prelude to pushing for the dismissal of his own case after the election.

Han urged voters to support him, stating, "Tomorrow, on the day of the local elections, I will enter the National Assembly, so please vote for Han Dong-hoon, number 6 on the ballot."

Additionally, President Lee called for the courts to consider making lower court rulings public. He noted that currently, most published rulings are limited to cases that have been finalized by the Supreme Court, suggesting that expanding this scope would enhance transparency in the judicial process.

He pointed out, "If lower court rulings are not made public, how can the public understand the standards by which the courts make their judgments?" Regarding concerns about personal information exposure, he suggested that names in the rulings could be anonymized, stating, "We should legislate on this matter soon."