Attorney General Criticizes DP’s Impeachment Motion Against Lee Jae-myung’s Investigators

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok said on Friday that the impeachment of prosecutors implicated in corruption investigations against former Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, who was accused by the DP, is illegal and that he will investigate whether there was a breach of immunity during the proceedings.

“It is abuse of power and defamation by spreading false information because it abuses legislative power, forcing others to do things they are not obligated to do and interfering with their rights,” Lee said during a meeting with reporters on his way to work on Friday. “I will look into the illegal aspects that are beyond the scope of the immunity granted to members of the National Assembly.”

Earlier this week, the DP submitted a controversial motion to impeach four prosecutors to the National Assembly’s Legislative and Judicial Affairs Committee, prompting a negative reaction from many senior prosecutors.

Lee One-seok called the motion “a foolproof impeachment to protect only one person.” The four prosecutors listed in the impeachment motion investigated and handled cases related to former DP leader Lee Jae-myung, including the Daejang-dong land development scandal and the Seongnam FC controversy.

The lead prosecutor previously criticized impeachment as “an attempt to avoid criminal punishment by impeaching prosecutors who investigate and try an influential person.”

Referring to the DP’s plan to hold a hearing in the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee and summon the aforementioned prosecutors, Lee One-seok asked, “If they were confident and honorable in their call for impeachment, wouldn’t they have passed the National Assembly vote immediately and referred the impeachment bill to the Constitutional Court?”

“I don’t think anyone in the DP believes these impeachments will be approved by the Constitutional Court and come into effect,” Lee said.

Regarding the push to impeach prosecutors before his term as attorney general ends in September, Lee said he is staying on the job not for his own safety, “but to make sure the prosecutor’s office is functioning properly.” He added, “I will do my job to the best of my ability until I retire.”

Meanwhile, asked about the investigation into first lady Kim Keon-hee over accusations that she received a luxury handbag from a Korean-American pastor, Lee said: “I have said this many times, but there is no asylum, no exception, no preference above our laws.” He said Kim’s case is being “thoroughly and meticulously handled by investigative teams.”

AUTHORS: CHUNG JIN-WOO, LIM JEONG-WON ([email protected])