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| Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae speaks during a parliamentary inspection at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, Monday, calling Yoon's previous remarks "crossing the line" and "inappropriate," during the National Assembly audit of the ministry.
The minister told lawmakers of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, "I think Yoon made a remark that crossed the line as the prosecutor general who should remain politically neutral."
Choo said she felt embarrassed as a commanding and supervising authority on the prosecution, and apologized. She criticized Yoon's remarks made during the parliamentary inspection as a "political act" and emphasized again her status as the prosecutor general's superior.
During a parliamentary audit on Oct. 22, Yoon criticized Choo, saying, "The prosecutor general is not a subordinate of the justice minister."
However, Choo argued that it was legitimate, necessary, and urgent to supervise the investigation of allegations that opposition party lawmakers and several prosecutors were lobbied by Kim Bong-hyun, a key figure in the Lime Asset Management scandal, a private equity fund's suspected criminal lobbying activities.
"According to the statement of Kim Bong-hyun, a key figure in the Lime scandal, the investigation result confirmed that a prosecutor who received 'high-priced entertainment hospitality' at the Gangnam bar was deployed as head of the investigation team in this case," Choo said.
As long as the allegations against the prosecution's investigation team stand, it is reasonable to exercise authority over the investigation to ensure neutrality, Choo added.
Kim, the key suspect of the hedge fund scandal, claimed earlier this month that the prosecution was not properly investigating opposition politicians and prosecutors that he bribed, and that he was offered bail in exchange for incriminating testimony against Kang Ki-jung, former presidential senior secretary for political affairs.
Choo then removed Yoon from the investigation, suspecting that he was protecting his peer investigators and opposition politicians that the hedge fund allegedly lobbied.
Lime Asset, Korea's once-largest hedge fund, failed to return 1.6 trillion won, ($1.4 billion), to investors amid a financial fraud investigation earlier this year.
