Lee Junghyun: “I Haven’t Even Mentioned the Word ‘Indictment Withdrawal’ for President Lee... I’m Not a Political Prosecutor” [2026 National Assembly Audit]

“I have not considered withdrawing the indictments,” he reiterates
“I will handle cases fairly, regardless of rank, based on principles and evidence”
On request for Future Committee materials: “Investigation is ongoing... difficult to submit them”

Acting Prosecutor General Lee Jung-hyun, deputy chief prosecutor of the Prosecution Office, reiterated on Thursday that he had never considered withdrawing the indictments in criminal cases involving President Lee Jae-myung. He also strongly rejected accusations that he was a “political prosecutor,” saying, “I cannot agree with that at all.”

Yonhap News Agency

At the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit of the Prosecution Office on Thursday, Lee answered “I have not considered it” when asked whether he would withdraw the indictments in cases involving President Lee. Asked whether he had instructed the heads of regional and local prosecution offices to review the matter, he said, “I have not even mentioned the word ‘withdrawal of indictment.’”

Regarding his remark on his first day at work last month that “we may need to look into the findings of the fact-finding investigation by the Prosecution Service Human Rights and Future Committee,” Lee explained, “It was an extremely general statement that I would wait for the findings because the investigation was still underway.” He added, “I have not considered withdrawing the indictments, and no other intention was involved whatsoever.”

Lee also rejected claims that attending Cabinet meetings chaired by President Lee could undermine the independence of the Prosecution Office. He said he had never received a request from the president to withdraw indictments or take specific action in any case, and emphasized, “I will handle cases fairly, in accordance with principles and evidence, regardless of anyone’s rank or position.”

In response to the opposition party’s criticism that he was a “political prosecutor,” Lee said, “In more than 29 years as a prosecutor, there has not been a single time when I handled a matter by judging black to be white.” He continued, “If I had been a political prosecutor, I would have sided with then-Prosecutor General Yoon Suk Yeol,” noting that he had spent an extended period at the Judicial Research and Training Institute during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Regarding his past apology over the investigation into allegations that Ssangbangwool sent money to North Korea, Lee said, “I did not apologize because it was a case involving the president.” He explained, “I was expressing a principled position on investigative methods that involved excessive fishing expeditions and public shaming.”

Regarding the activities of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Future Committee fact-finding team, Lee said it would be difficult to comply with a request to submit investigative materials. “The fact-finding investigation is audit-like in nature, and it has not yet been completed,” he said. “Submitting the materials could disrupt the investigation.” Asked about some of the findings, including those related to Wirye New Town, statistical manipulation, and the killing of a South Korean civil servant near the West Sea, he said, “It is difficult to comment while the investigations are ongoing.”

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