Rep. Lee Yong-woo, a former legal professional and member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, called for disciplinary action against prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who was removed from the "Special Committee for a Parliamentary Investigation to Determine the Truth Behind Allegations of Politically Motivated Prosecutorial Fabrication Under the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration" after refusing to take the witness oath. Prosecutor Park plans to express his personal views at a party-level hearing organized by People Power Party (PPP) members of the special committee, arguing that the Democratic Party-led parliamentary investigation violates current law.
"PPP lawmakers are blatantly attempting to obstruct the parliamentary investigation by holding a separate meeting of their own instead of attending the legitimate special committee sessions approved by the National Assembly plenary, and even pulling away key witnesses," Lee said on Wednesday. "If they proceed with this behavior that disregards the representative body, it absolutely cannot be overlooked."
He added, "The lawmakers who obstructed the parliamentary investigation must be referred to the National Assembly Special Ethics Committee to be held strictly accountable."
Lee criticized the PPP-led hearing as lacking legal legitimacy. "The so-called hearing that the PPP intends to hold is clearly a private political event by a specific party that falsely claims to be a hearing, with absolutely no basis in the National Assembly Act or the Parliamentary Inspection and Investigation Act," he stressed.
Lee called for disciplinary measures against prosecutor Park. "Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who remains a public official despite being currently suspended from duty, previously refused even to take the oath at the legitimate parliamentary investigation approved by the National Assembly plenary," he said. "Refusing to take the oath at an official session of the representative body while planning to attend and speak at what is clearly a private political event is a direct violation of a prosecutor's obligations as a public official, including the duty of political neutrality and the duty to maintain dignity."
"Prosecutor Park Sang-yong's participation in a political event constitutes unlawful involvement in political activities under Article 43 of the Prosecutors' Office Act, Article 2 of the Prosecutors' Disciplinary Act, and Article 65 of the State Public Officials Act," he said. "If he proceeds with attending the political event in violation of current law, strict measures including disciplinary action will be necessary, and he will not be able to escape the consequences."