Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho: "Kim Keon-hee's 7-Year Sentence Is a Judgment on Political Prosecutors Who Cleared Her"

"Prosecution Faces Virtual Dissolution Due to Political Prosecutors Who Sold Their Souls to Power"

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho harshly criticized the prosecution after Kim Keon-hee, who was indicted on charges of selling government positions, was sentenced to seven years in prison in the first trial.

Justice Minister Jeong Seongho speaking. Photo by Yonhap News

On June 27, Minister Jung wrote on Facebook, "This is a stern warning from the judiciary that public office must never become an object of trade," adding, "It is also a judgment on political prosecutors who, swayed by those in power, issued not-guilty verdicts for similar charges."

Minister Jung pointed out, "From the Van Cleef necklace and golden turtle to the receipt of the Dior bag, for which political prosecutors under the former Yoon Suk-yeol administration took the lead in granting impunity, all were found guilty without exception," and said, "Because of a handful of political prosecutors who sold their souls to power and turned a blind eye to wrongdoing, the prosecution today faces a situation tantamount to dissolution."

He added, "These few political prosecutors have abused their prosecutorial powers, trampling on the honor and pride of the majority of their colleagues who quietly work day and night, and have driven public trust in judicial justice to rock bottom, making even normal social deliberation on criminal justice reform difficult."

Minister Jung emphasized, "We are on the verge of major changes in the criminal justice system," and stressed, "The prosecution must make even greater efforts for change and innovation in order to regain the trust of the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.