New Supreme Prosecutors' Office Deputy Chief on Dropping Indictment: "Will Decide After Fact-Finding Investigation"

Newly appointed Supreme Prosecutors' Office Deputy Chief Lee Jung-hyun stated on his first day to work today (the 23rd) that a decision regarding the cancellation of the indictment in President Lee Jae-myung's criminal case will be made after reviewing the results of a fact-finding investigation.

Arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Deputy Chief Lee was asked about the matter by reporters and replied, "Since a fact-finding investigation is currently underway by the investigation team, we will need to examine the results."

When asked about his past evaluation of the Ssangbangwool illegal remittance to North Korea case as a "very flawed investigative method," he responded as follows:

[Lee Jung-hyun / New Deputy Chief of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office: All past Prosecutors Generals and Ministers of Justice have consistently emphasized restrained investigations and high-standards investigations that target only the affected areas. In that respect, I think there may have been aspects that did not quite meet those standards.]

In April during a National Assembly hearing on the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, Deputy Chief Lee expressed his personal opinion, which was unusual for a serving prosecutor at the time, calling it a "very flawed investigative method."

In addition, regarding a query from Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo about alleged coercion involving "salmon and alcohol parties," he stated, "While I am not in a position to represent [the institution], I think it is the duty of a prosecutor to offer words of atonement."

With Deputy Chief Lee expressing on his way to work today that he will decide after reviewing the fact-finding results, some analysts suggest this leaves open the possibility of dropping the indictment related to the President.

Meanwhile, former Supreme Prosecutors' Office Deputy Chief Koo Ja-hyun, who previously served as Acting Prosecutor General, criticized the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act—which abolishes prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights—during his retirement ceremony yesterday.

Posting on the internal prosecution bulletin board, former Deputy Chief Koo pointed out, "The push to pass the bill without sufficient review regarding cutting off prosecutors' opportunities to directly examine facts and evidence to uncover the substantive truth has clearly undermined the foundation of the prosecutor system."

(Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.