Lee Jeonghyun: Moon Probe “Stripped Flesh from the Bone”; Yoon’s Remarks Set the Stage for Fishing-Expedition Probes [2026 Audit]

Acting Prosecutor General Lee Jeonghyun at parliamentary audit
"I remember Yoon saying, 'We should indict them and make them suffer'"
"We must deeply reflect on and apologize for past investigative misconduct"

Lee Jeonghyun, acting Prosecutor General and deputy chief prosecutor of the Public Prosecution Office, said on October 22 that the investigation into former President Moon Jae-in over bribery allegations “seems to have been an investigation that stripped the flesh from the bone.” He also disclosed remarks made by former President Yoon Suk Yeol when he was prosecutor general, saying, “Investigations were carried out as fishing expeditions along those same lines.”

Lee Jeonghyun, acting prosecutor general, answers lawmakers’ questions during a parliamentary audit of the Public Prosecution Office (formerly the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office) held by the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 22nd. Yonhap News

Lee made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the Public Prosecution Office by the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, in response to a question from Lee Seong-yoon, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, about whether he considered the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office investigation that indicted former President Moon to have been proper.

Lee Seong-yoon pointed out that, during the investigation, prosecutors repeatedly contacted the family of Moon’s former son-in-law and even seized the young grandson’s iPad. In response to the trial court’s statement in November 2025 that it would also examine whether the investigation was lawful, Lee Jeonghyun said, “That has never happened before.”

Lee Jeonghyun added, “I think reform and innovation will only be possible if we engage in deep reflection and remorse, and offer a sincere apology for past investigative misconduct.”

He also disclosed remarks made by former President Yoon while serving as prosecutor general. “I still remember then-Prosecutor General Yoon saying, in effect, ‘For cases that are ambiguous and in which the suspects do not show remorse or confess, we should indict them and make them stand trial for three or five years, causing them physical, financial and psychological suffering,’” Lee said.

“I think that led to various cases and investigations conducted as fishing expeditions,” he said, adding, “Along with painful soul-searching, we will be mindful of ensuring that nothing like this happens again.”

Former President Moon was indicted in April 2025 on bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, in connection with his former son-in-law’s hiring by Thai Eastar Jet and salary payments. The case is also among those being examined by the Ministry of Justice’s Committee on Prosecutorial Human Rights and the Future.

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