Prosecutor Park Sang-yong [Photo=Yonhap News] 

I haven't written extensively about Prosecutor Park Sang-yong recently. While I wholeheartedly support his solitary struggle, his response to political pressure and his statements have been so impeccable and to the point that there's been no need for me to add anything.

And today, he once again prompted a silent exclamation of admiration from me.

Prosecutor Park, who investigated the Ssangbangul North Korea remittance case, has filed a civil lawsuit seeking 180 million won in damages and a criminal complaint against Lee Hwa-young's lawyer, Seo Min-seok, and a KBS reporter.

A Perfect Defense Within the Bounds of the Law 

The media reports this as a mere, dry 'defamation dispute between the prosecution and the media.' However, looking at this complaint, which pierces through the rules of the judiciary and political engineering, it is not a plea of injustice to restore damaged honor.

It is the most sophisticated and fatal legal counter-punch thrown to legally neutralize the 'perjury trap' set by 105 National Assembly members.

The scenario of the ruling party was clear: a manipulated recording, where the lawyer selectively omitted unfavorable parts (the attempt at a deal as an accomplice) and then leaked to the media after devilish editing. The ruling party intended to use this as their sole smoking gun to implicate Prosecutor Park in perjury during the parliamentary investigation and ultimately have the charges against Lee Jae-myung dropped.

However, in this desperate crisis, Prosecutor Park filed a lawsuit against the lawyer, who was the subject of the manipulation, and the KBS reporter, who was the disseminator.

A Divine Move to Halt the Giant Gears of Manipulation 

Why is this act a 'divine move' by Prosecutor Park, who was standing on the cliff's edge without any shield? Its tactical mechanism operates in precisely two stages.

First, it has reduced the recording, the only offensive weapon, to 'tainted evidence.'

The moment the lawsuit was filed, the recording the ruling party was pushing forward is no longer an unmovable fact, but becomes 'unconfirmed evidence' whose authenticity and manipulation must be disputed in court. The weapon the legislative branch intended to use as a cleaver in a people's trial has been forcibly dragged onto the court's meticulous examination table.

Second, it has secured a perfect and legal 'right to remain silent.'

Now, even if the ruling party attempts to pressure Prosecutor Park by initiating a parliamentary investigation or a perjury trial, Prosecutor Park now possesses a perfect legal shield.

“This recording is a matter currently under civil and criminal litigation regarding its devilish editing. Therefore, I have a legitimate reason to refuse to make unfavorable statements based on evidence whose factual basis has not been established.”

By using the fabricated stone thrown by the opponent against them, he has nullified the perjury trap itself and earned himself an absolute shield that can legally delay the trial.

Prosecutor Park Sang-yong filed a lawsuit against lawyer Seo Min-seok, the subject of the recording manipulation, and the KBS reporter who disseminated it. [KBS News Capture]

Just as Lee Jae-myung endured to the pinnacle of power through numerous trial delay tactics, Prosecutor Park has also delivered a counter-blow that paralyzes their weapon of manipulation in the most clever way within the bounds of the law.

Naturally, victory is expected, but what if Prosecutor Park wins this lawsuit?

The ruling party's justification for attempting to overturn the judicial system and drop the charges with a single manipulated recording will be permanently enshrined before the irrefutable fact of 'the court's ruling.' The giant gears that were turning towards a bulletproof people's trial will be completely shattered.

The resolve of a solitary prosecutor who, without succumbing to the violence of the majority, launched a counter-attack with facts within the rules of the judiciary. This 180 million won claim, thrust into the jaws of immense power that sought to crush the law with numbers, feels exceptionally sharp and fierce today. I offer a silent standing ovation to this perfect defense that leaves no need for further words.

◆ Writer Park Ju-hyun

A composer, music director, columnist, and essayist. She actively expresses her opinions on political, current affairs, and social issues on Facebook, garnering widespread agreement. She published the essay collection 'Crossing the Stormy Sea.'