Controversy Arises Over Prosecutor's Future Committee Chair's Role in Moon Bribery Case

Jang Joo-young, chair of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor's Future Committee, has been revealed to have served as a defense attorney in the bribery case involving former President Moon Jae-in. This case is one of the subjects under investigation by the committee, sparking controversy.

According to legal sources on September 21, Jang represented Moon in the first trial of the bribery allegations currently underway at the Seoul Central District Court.

Concerns about fairness and potential conflicts of interest have arisen as a committee chair is also a defense attorney for a party involved in the investigation.

The case is among 12 additional investigation targets selected by the Prosecutor's Future Committee last month based on public suggestions.

The committee stated, "We selected cases considering the severity of human rights violations, public interest, social impact, and the need for prevention of recurrence."

Lee Dong-yeon, another committee member and former judge, has also been confirmed to have defended former National Intelligence Service Secretary Noh Eun-chae, who faces charges related to the West Sea shooting incident, in the first trial.

This has led to criticism within the legal community regarding the fairness of the investigation, as many of the cases involve individuals connected to the ruling party.

The Prosecutor's Future Committee has reportedly decided to exclude Jang and Lee from the deliberation and decision-making processes for their respective cases.

Jang acknowledged, "It is true that I defended the former president's case," but added, "I submitted my resignation as defense attorney to the court on June 22, 12 days after the committee was launched."

He further stated, "I did not participate in the decision-making process during the case selection and have remained excluded from duties since then."

Regarding Lee, Jang explained, "He also recused himself during the case selection and did not participate in the decision-making. He was present during reports but was excluded from speaking or involvement in the meetings."

Jang emphasized, "To avoid any misunderstandings about the committee's fair operation, we will ensure that any members who recuse themselves or are excluded from duties do not attend any deliberation, reporting, or decision-making meetings in the future."

The Prosecutor's Future Committee was established in June to investigate allegations of human rights violations or abuse of power in the exercise of prosecutorial authority and to recommend measures to prevent recurrence.

The initial investigation targets include the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, the Daejang-dong case, the case involving former Democratic Research Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong, the Wirye New Town case, the West Sea shooting incident, the statistics manipulation case, and the false reporting case regarding "defamation of Yoon Seok-yeol."

With the addition of 12 more cases last month, the total number of investigation targets has increased to 19, of which eight are related to President Lee Jae-myung.