Lee Jeong-hyeon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, suggests 'aspects that do not meet the standards' of the investigation into remittances to North Korea

On my first commute to work, “There are aspects of the investigation into remittances to North Korea that don’t make sense.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Jae-ha and Choi Won-jeong = Newly appointed Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Lee Jeong-hyeon, hinted at the possibility on the 23rd, saying that the results of the fact-finding investigation into President Lee Jae-myung's criminal case should be seen.

Deputy Director Lee met with reporters on his way to work at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office this morning and was asked related questions. He replied, "The fact-finding team is currently conducting a fact-finding investigation, so I think we will have to look at the results."

Regarding the fact that Deputy Director Lee previously stated that the Ssangbangwool remittance investigation into North Korea was wrong, he reaffirmed his existing position, saying, "It is my basic philosophy regarding the investigation."

He added, "All past presidents and ministers have always emphasized a restrained investigation and an investigation that only weeds out high-quality cases. In that respect, I think there may have been some aspects that did not meet the standards. I have answered in principle."

When asked how he felt about taking on the duties of the Prosecutor General ahead of the launch of the Public Prosecution Office, Deputy Director Lee said, "I feel heavy on my shoulders as I have to take on important responsibility during difficult times, but I will do my best to help the Public Prosecution Office quickly establish itself as a human rights advocacy and human rights protection agency."

He added, "In particular, we will do our best to protect the socially vulnerable and crime victims."

Regarding the Ministry of Justice's push to reduce the number of prosecutors at the Public Prosecution Office, Deputy Director Lee said, "We will have to look into it gradually, but when I looked into the work within the jurisdiction of the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office and the District Prosecutors' Office, the prosecutor's office is struggling with 600 to 700 unsolved cases, so the actual number of people working is quite short. I think we need to discuss this with the Ministry of Justice."

When asked how he plans to encourage members as the Public Prosecution Service is about to be launched, Deputy Director Lee responded, "I think the more difficult the situation is, the more important it is to work together and communicate with each other. I consider communication to be the most important and will work harder to prevent minor misunderstandings while sharing any content."

Regarding business discussions with the Serious Crimes Investigation Office or the police, he said, "Since the command system has changed to an equal and cooperative relationship, I think we need to further strengthen the prior cooperative relationship, including signing an MOU (business agreement) in the future. I think that is a desirable relationship between state agencies."

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