Cho Kuk: "President Lee is the biggest victim of the Yoon Prosecutor regime... charges should be dropped"

"National Assembly needs a full-scale investigation into 'killing Lee Jae-myung'... prosecutorial supplementary investigation rights should be abolished"

Cho Kuk, interim leader, speaks at a debate on the abuse of prosecutorial power (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Gwang-mo = Cho Kuk, interim leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, speaks at a debate on the problems and solutions of prosecutorial power abuse, hosted by the 'Go All The Way Special Committee' at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 24th. 2025.9.24 hkmpooh@yna.co.kr

Cho Kuk, interim leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, on the 24th defined President Lee as a "victim" of prosecutorial investigations conducted during the former President Yoon Seok-yeol's administration and argued that the charges related to President Lee's trial should be "dropped."

At the "Problems and Solutions of Prosecutorial Power Abuse" debate held at the National Assembly that day, Cho stated, "If I were to name just one biggest victim of the Yoon Seok-yeol prosecutor regime, it would be President Lee Jae-myung, and President Lee is the victim of the worst 'false and fabricated prosecution' in history."

Cho said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol regime's relentless and brutal attacks aimed at killing Lee Jae-myung, who was a presidential rival and the most likely next presidential candidate as the opposition leader, were persistent and cruel. The National Assembly, alongside the ongoing legislative efforts for prosecutorial reform, must fully engage in investigating the truth behind the 'killing of Lee Jae-myung,' holding individuals accountable, and restoring damages."

He argued, "In this regard, some trials against President Lee should result in the 'dropping of charges,' not a 'suspension of trial.' This is because political investigations and prosecutions, which involved violations of due process and the manipulation of testimony and evidence, cannot possess legitimacy."

Furthermore, Cho mentioned the abolition of the Prosecutor's Office, the dismantling of prosecutorial power, and the swift restoration of damages from the abuse of prosecutorial power as key aspects of prosecutorial reform. He emphasized, "The abolition of the prosecutor's supplementary investigation rights is the legislative spirit of prosecutorial reform."

He added, "If the police are entrusted with initial investigations and then prosecutors are allowed to investigate, the meaning of separating investigation and prosecution is lost. It simply means the prosecutors investigate later." Yonhap News