Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, attends Christmas mass at a cathedral in Incheon, Sunday. Yonhap

Ruling party condemns opposition's 'irrational' shielding of Lee Jae-myung

By Ko Dong-hwan

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Sunday disclosed the personal information of 16 prosecutors who are investigating the party's chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung, arguing that they are collaborating with President Yoon Suk-yeol to bring down the DPK as well as its leader.

The liberal party made a list of the prosecutors, including their names and photos, and shared it online with its local chapters across the country. The list had been made public last Friday by DPK Rep. Park Chan-dae during a party leaders' meeting in Gangwon Province.

Rep. Lee, who had previously been Seongnam mayor in 2010 to 2014 and then Gyeonggi Province governor before running in the March 9 presidential election as the DPK's candidate, now faces multiple allegations: the city government's attraction of 16 billion won ($12 million) in corporate donations to its city-run football club Seongnam FC in return for administrative favors, and corruption cases involving a massive land development project in Seongnam's Daejang-dong.

"The public should know who these prosecutors are who are trying to destroy the opposition party and get rid of their enemy," the DPK said in a statement released Monday. "The main opposition party is under prosecutorial sabotage at an unprecedented level. Sixty prosecutors are now after Rep. Lee while 90 prosecutors are digging up dirt to find evidence on which to charge former President Moon Jae-in."

Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom of the DPK said Monday that the party, if necessary, will reveal more of the prosecutors involved in the cases. "We have disclosed 16 for now but we will disclose all 150 of them if necessary," he said.

The move drew fierce responses from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the justice ministry, which has control over the prosecutors. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said Monday that the DPK is abusing its vested political position by inciting a public witch hunt of prosecutors who are legally carrying out their duties, all to defend one man accused of criminal wrongdoings.

"This will neither make the charges disappear nor clog a pinion of the country's judiciary system," the minister said upon arriving at the ministry's headquarters at the Gwacheon Government Complex in Gyeonggi Province. "Rep. Lee can abide by the judiciary system and explain himself just like other ordinary members of the public."

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, the interim floor leader of the People Power Party, speaks during the party's interim emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. Yonhap

The conservative party said the DPK is shielding its chairman to cover up his wrongdoings.

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, the PPP's interim floor leader, posted on Facebook, Monday, urging Rep. Lee to cooperate with prosecutors. Rep. Lee, now touring across the country to meet members of the public in person, was summoned for questioning by prosecutors on the allegations involving Seongnam FC. There were suggestions from dissenters of Rep. Lee that he embarked on the tour to avoid the prosecutors' request due Wednesday.

"Why does the lawyer who is very much familiar with legal knowledge fear the prosecution so much?" Rep. Chung said. "He should keep his previous promise that he will be faithful to prosecutors' questioning."

Rep. Chung compared the DPK's identification of the 16 prosecutors to "pinpointing GPS locations" for the DPK supporters so that they can rally a concerted "uprising" against the country's prosecutorial body.

"The Seongnam FC allegation is Rep. Lee's personal crime that took place when he was the Seongnam mayor and it doesn't concern the DPK," said Rep. Chung, questioning why the DPK is "bringing itself down" by helping their chairman in this way. "I urge you to (halt the tour and) come to the plenary meeting at the National Assembly scheduled for Wednesday, and drop by at the prosecutors' office as well."

Previously on Sunday, Rep. Yang Kum-hee, the spokesperson of the PPP's interim emergency committee, also criticized the DPK for its disclosure of the prosecutors' identities.

"To protect their chairman from his judiciary risks, the DPK has given up its status as a political party and instead resorted to acting like a private law firm," Rep. Yang said. "Are they so afraid of prosecutors and the truth?"

Rep. Lee, when he was instructed by prosecutors to appear at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on Dec. 28, reacted furiously and accused President Yoon of being behind the investigation.

"The Yoon government is insane and unfair," Lee said during the tour in a speech at a market in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. "It seems that they are scared of me. For years, they have been trying to invent something to find fault with me but all their efforts went in vain. All those years when I was in public service, I have been targeted and investigated by the prosecution, the police and other law enforcement agencies. During the past decade when I served first as mayor of Seongnam and then as Gyeonggi Province governor, my office had been seized, probed and inspected. But I survived and I am here now."