[Editorial] Suspicions about Lobbying the Prosecution by the Brother of Prosecutor General

The suspicion that Mr. Shin Seung-Hwan, a younger brother of the Public Prosecutor General, had lobbied the Public Prosecution in relation to the Lee Yong-Ho Gate is a very serious case that cannot be ignored. It does not seem clear for now whether Mr. Shin met with prosecutors and actually lobbied them. However, since he is a younger brother of the Prosecutor General and he had met with many prosecutors who were related with the investigation of the Lee Yong-Ho case, his activities might have affected the investigation. Furthermore, the Special Investigation concluded that Mr. Shin took 50 million won from Mr. Lee Yong-Ho and did lobby through many channels on his behalf such as the Korean Asset Management Corporation, Financial Supervisory Commission, and banks to request them to buy the insolvent bonds of Mr. Yoon`s company.

The Prosecution must rush to reveal the truth of this case. Besides the Special Prosecution`s investigatio, the Public Prosecution must reveal the names of the prosecutors who had met with Mr. Shin and what kind of requests he made to them. It is known that the details of the meetings with the prosecutors are well recorded in Mr. Shin`s memorandum. It may not be too difficult for the Prosecution to reveal the full version of the story. The Prosecution must reveal the facts and severely punish the persons who committed any inappropriate activity.

The reason why the investigation of the Lee Yong-Ho Gate was so bogged down that it had to be re-investigated by the Special Prosecution is simply because of the fact that a brother of the incumbent Prosecutor General was involved. It would be a tragedy not only for him but also for the whole Prosecution that the Prosecutor General is under pressure to voluntarily resign. However, the Prosecution must not stick together to protect the top Prosecutor in this situation. How would the Public Prosecution possibly handle the situation if the Special Prosecutor revealed that a high-ranking prosecutor did try to `cover-up` the case by lobby in the worst case scenario? If the Prosecution is innocent, it does not have to refute the conclusion of the Special Prosecution as `a difference in perspective and interpretation of the facts`.

Clarifying unclear questions is one of Prosecutor General Shin`s primary duties. Prosecutor General Shin must make a decision, and accept the fact that the current situation is not just a personal matter for him, but also a matter regarding the entire Public Prosecutors Office. He must recognize that if he continues to ignore the current situation caused by his brother, it will end up with the collapse of the whole Prosecution system as well as himself. The investigation of the Special Prosecutor has gone far beyond the issue of simply dismissing Prosecutor General Shin.

hnbhang@donga.com