The People Power Party criticized President Lee Jae-myung on October 23 for allegedly attempting to influence his trial by having the heads of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecutors' Office attend the Cabinet meeting.
Jung Jeom-sik, the party's floor leader, made these remarks during a National Assembly audit strategy meeting held in the morning. He stated, "The purpose of President Lee's insistence on having the heads of these agencies attend the Cabinet meeting is clear."
In response to President Lee's assertion the previous day that failing to supervise the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency could be grounds for impeachment, Jung called the claim "absurd." He questioned, "If what the president claims is true, should all past presidents who did not have heads of investigative agencies attend Cabinet meetings have been impeached?"
Jung explained that past presidents refrained from having the Prosecutor General attend Cabinet meetings to maintain the independence and neutrality of investigations, noting that the FBI Director in the United States and the Prosecutors General in Germany and Japan also do not attend Cabinet meetings.
He further argued that forcing the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency head to attend Cabinet meetings signifies an intention to exert constant pressure on national agencies through these meetings, stating, "Such behavior is grounds for impeachment."
Jung also pointed out that under the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act, ministers can direct specific cases through the agency head, emphasizing that the president can communicate national affairs through the relevant minister.
Meanwhile, he expressed sharp criticism regarding the exclusion of key witnesses from the National Assembly audit. Jung stated, "The Democratic Party is outright rejecting the selection of witnesses such as Kim Hyun-ji, the head of the presidential office's secretariat, Jeong Jin-sang, former head of the Democratic Party's policy coordination office, Kang Hoon-sik, former presidential secretary, and Kim Yong-beom, former head of the presidential policy office," adding, "It is truly disgraceful how the ruling party has become a guard for the powerful."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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