Han Byeong-do, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, dismissed the criticism from the People Power Party regarding the attendance of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency chief at the Cabinet meeting, calling it "a comedy."
During a Supreme Council meeting on the same day, Han stated, "The People Power Party is nitpicking the attendance of investigation agency heads at the Cabinet meeting, raising issues of independence, neutrality, and fairness." He questioned, "Does attending the Cabinet meeting undermine investigative independence, and does not attending preserve it? What kind of absurd logic is this?"
He further remarked, "Have you forgotten the past when the prosecution and police were reduced to tools of power under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration? While Yoon and the People Power Party may have manipulated power agencies to their liking, the Lee Jae-myung government and the Democratic Party are different."
Han also argued, "Supervising transparently through a live-streamed Cabinet meeting is a hundred or a thousand times better for ensuring political neutrality than directing investigations via private phones and mobilizing police for insurrection."
He urged the People Power Party to reflect on their own past mistakes that have undermined the independence and neutrality of investigative agencies, stating, "If you are not dreaming of reviving a political prosecution, stop the unreasonable nitpicking and cooperate responsibly in establishing a new criminal justice system."
Meanwhile, the People Power Party continues its offensive regarding the policy of having the chief prosecutor and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency chief attend Cabinet meetings.
Jung Jeom-sik, the floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized during a National Assembly audit strategy meeting on the same day, "The purpose of President Yoon forcing the attendance of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency chief and the prosecutor general at the Cabinet meeting is different. The reason past presidents did not have the prosecutor general attend Cabinet meetings was to maintain the independence and neutrality of investigations." He added, "The FBI director in the U.S. and the prosecutors general in Germany and Japan also do not attend cabinet meetings."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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