[Anchor]
The National Assembly special committee investigating allegations of politically motivated, fabricated prosecutions under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has approved witnesses including Kim Seong-tae, the former chairman of Ssangbangwool, and private developers tied to the Daejang-dong case.
The People Power Party demanded that former party leader Han Dong-hoon be summoned, but its lawmakers walked out after the committee rejected that request.
The Democratic Party reiterated allegations that prosecutors tried to coax testimony and released additional recorded material.
This is Jung Joo-hee.
[Reporter]
The special committee on the alleged fabricated prosecutions held a plenary session and, in a ruling-party-led move, approved 103 witnesses. The list includes Kim Seong-tae, a key figure in the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, and private contractors linked to the Daejang-dong scandal.
The People Power Party sought to have Han Dong-hoon, who served as justice minister and later became party leader, and Kim Hyun-ji, the Blue House first deputy chief of staff, appear as witnesses. The committee denied those requests.
\"How far do you want to derail this probe? Are you still fixated on former Minister Han Dong-hoon? Do you want to call him here just to turn this investigation into a mess? He's your top priority,\" said Park Seong-jun, a Democratic Party member of the special committee.
\"Director Kim Hyun-ji repeatedly changed lawyers. You know she replaced the lawyer in the Lee Hwa-young vice governor case. In short, they destroyed evidence,\" said Na Kyung-won, a People Power Party member of the special committee.
Democratic lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi released an additional recording of Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who led the investigation into the North Korea remittance case.
Jeon said the recording captures Park pressuring Seo Min-seok, the lawyer for former Gyeonggi Province peace vice governor Lee Hwa-young, warning that denying the charges could lead to a lengthy sentence.
\"If you simply flat-out deny it and keep that stance, we'll seek about 10 years or more in sentencing…\" — Recording of Prosecutor Park Sang-yong (May 25, 2023).
Jeon said core material would be released in sequence and warned that the forthcoming disclosures would be explosive.
The committee voted to begin with agency briefings on the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case and to conduct hearings and on-site investigations for seven related cases.
The Democratic Party pledged to put all the political prosecutors on the witness stand and vowed to uncover the full truth behind the alleged fabricated prosecutions.
The People Power Party criticized the probe, saying, \"People's livelihoods are at risk while you're clinging to audio files manipulated with devilish editing,\" and called for an emergency trilateral roundtable of ruling, opposition and government leaders.
This is Jung Joo-hee of Yonhap News TV.
[Video reporting: Kim Seong-su, Park Tae-beom, Kim Sang-hoon, Hong Su-ho]
[Video editing: Kim Hwi-su]
Yonhap News TV story tips and inquiries: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23
Jung Joo-hee (gee@yna.co.kr)
