Park Cheol-woo, the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, stated on October 19 during a national audit that he has never considered dismissing the charges related to President Lee Jae-myung's case.
Responding to a question from Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling People Power Party regarding whether he had reviewed the possibility of dismissing the charges against President Lee, Park said, "I have never considered such a dismissal." He acknowledged the high public interest in the case but emphasized that it is no different from any other case. He added, "I cannot comment on how we will handle individual cases as a matter of principle," noting that discussions about prosecution or detention cannot be made during national audits.
When asked if the investigation by the Ministry of Justice's Future Committee on Prosecutorial Human Rights could provide grounds for pursuing a dismissal of the charges against President Lee, Park clarified that he is not involved in that matter.
The issue of authority between the case review committees established at each regional prosecutor's office and the Future Committee's investigative team was also raised. Rep. Kim Min-jeon of the People Power Party inquired whether the review committee's scope includes the possibility of dismissing charges. Acting Chief Prosecutor Jeong Yong-hwan responded that the operational regulations specify that the review committee addresses matters such as prosecution initiation, appeals, and requests for arrest warrants, and that further examination is needed to determine if the inquiry falls within their purview.
Regarding concerns that the Future Committee's investigative team having investigative powers contradicts the revised Criminal Procedure Act, Park stated, "I believe the investigative team will make appropriate judgments considering the points raised."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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