Park Jun-tae (from left), Cho Bae-sook, Na Kyung-won, and Song Seok-jun, members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee affiliated with the People Power Party, are raising suspicions of 'higher-ups' orders, including presidential office intervention, regarding the prosecution's abandonment of appeals against defendants sentenced to prison in the first trial of the Daejang-dong development corruption case, at the National Assembly Communication Center in Yeouido, Seoul on November 9. Yonhap News.

The People Power Party (PPP) urged on November 9 that the higher authorities who ordered the prosecution to abandon appeals against defendants sentenced to prison in the first trial of the Daejang-dong development corruption case must be identified.

Members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee affiliated with the PPP held a press conference at the National Assembly that day, stating, "This order to abandon appeals is an abuse of power and dereliction of duty." They claimed, "The top leadership, who yielded to the cruel power of the Lee Jae-myung administration, has ultimately sealed the Daejang-dong crime investigation heading towards President Lee themselves."

They emphasized, "Based on the facts revealed so far, this is a matter that requires not only an investigation but also a parliamentary audit. Minister of Justice Cho Kuk is clearly impeachable," and "Whether the presidential office was involved and whether the President gave orders must be clarified transparently."

They further urged, "We demand that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee convene a full meeting tomorrow for an emergency urgent inquiry. We also demand the immediate disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the order to abandon appeals and a thorough investigation into whether the presidential office was involved."

After the press conference, Rep. Na Kyung-won said, "We urge the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials to immediately investigate Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and senior officials at the Ministry of Justice, including those at the presidential office, who were involved in this unjust order to abandon appeals in this case."

In a statement, Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon asserted, "The ultimate responsibility for the decision to abandon appeals lies with the Minister of Justice and the prosecution leadership." He added, "The People Power Party defines this situation as a government-level intervention in the judiciary and a retreat of justice, and we will certainly uncover the full truth through parliamentary hearings and a national audit."

He stated, "The fact that the prosecution leadership and the Ministry of Justice overturned the investigation team's strong insistence on appeals is a result tailored to the tastes of political power." He also said, "The person who should resign is not the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, but the higher authority who ordered the abandonment of appeals."

In his statement, Reform Party Chief Spokesperson Lee Dong-hoon questioned, "Can we truly say that all these decisions are unrelated to the President's intentions?"

Spokesperson Lee emphasized, "The abandonment of appeals is a coerced decision that succumbed to the pressure of power, and if the President is behind it, that is grounds for impeachment." He added, "We will investigate all those responsible for the decision to abandon appeals and pursue accountability for state fund losses and judicial manipulation to the end."

Yonhap News