Acting Prosecutor General Lee Jeong-hyeon stated that there has been no review of the dismissal of charges related to President Lee Jae-myung's criminal case.
During a National Assembly audit of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on October 22, Lee responded to a question from lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek of the People Power Party regarding the potential dismissal of charges against the president, saying, "We have not reviewed it."
This audit, the first since the establishment of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was prompted by Kwak's inquiry about Lee's comments made during his first day at work last month. At that time, Lee had mentioned the need to wait for the results of the investigation by the Future Committee's Truth Investigation Team regarding the president's case, which sparked controversy over whether this implied a consideration of dismissing the charges.
In response, Lee clarified, "My earlier comments were a general stance made in the context of an ongoing investigation," adding, "I cannot discuss the dismissal of charges based on hypothetical situations, and there was no ulterior motive involved."
The Future Committee's Truth Investigation Team is examining the legality of the investigative processes in 19 cases, including eight related to President Lee, such as the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case and the Daejang-dong development corruption allegations. Recently, some findings indicated no illegality in certain cases, but a follow-up meeting is scheduled for October 29 at the request of the Future Committee for further investigation.
Lee also addressed an inquiry from Democratic Party lawmaker Park Kyun-taek regarding allegations that independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon leaked the indictment plan for former Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won. Lee stated, "There are limitations to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's internal investigation regarding Han, so a proper investigation is necessary," and assured that relevant departments are thoroughly verifying the facts.
He explained, "Ultimately, the truth investigation is based on the consent of the parties involved and has physical limitations concerning current officials. This should be clarified through an investigation." In response to Kwak's request for cooperation should the police or the Special Investigations Unit conduct an investigation, Lee affirmed, "We will cooperate as much as possible."
Before the audit began, Lee expressed his commitment to focusing on addressing public safety crimes and protecting citizens' fundamental rights in his opening remarks.
He emphasized that over the past year, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office has concentrated its efforts on responding to public safety crimes such as sexual violence, voice phishing, and drug offenses, while also ensuring strict responses to wage theft and serious industrial accidents, as well as protecting crime victims.
Lee added, "As we transition from the Prosecutor's Office to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, we will humbly accept the National Assembly's advice and work to establish a legal safety net that reassures the public."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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