Prosecution assigns complaint against Moon to criminal department

The prosecution on Tuesday assigned the complaint brought against President Moon Jae-in by Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to a criminal investigation department.

In the complaint, filed June 13, Kwak alleges that Moon violated related regulations by calling for an investigation into former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui, as well as other current and past cases. 

On March 18, Moon called on the police and the prosecution to look into the Kim Hak-eui case as well as allegations surrounding the nightclub Burning Sun and the death of actress Jang Ja-yeon. At the time, the president said the truth must be revealed even in cases where the statute of limitations has expired.

On the same day, the Ministry of Justice committee looking into alleged wrongdoing by the prosecutor’s office extended its mandate for another two months.

On March 25, the committee concluded that Kwak had interfered with the investigation into Kim in 2013 when Kwak was a presidential aide, and said the prosecution should investigate.

“There is no legislation that provides the basis for the president to command the prosecutor general in relation to a specific case,” Kwak said in his criminal complaint against Moon. Kwak said he had been treated like a suspect in the case and questioned without proper legal procedures, and he called that an abuse of power by Moon.

In addition to Moon, Justice Minister Park Sang-ki and Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs and Justice Cho Kuk were also named in Kwak’s complaint.

Kwak has also alleged that there may have been irregularities in the process of Moon’s daughter and son-in-law moving abroad, and in the latter gaining employment in Thailand.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)