ED Independent probe needed

Minister should not try to control prosecution

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae has triggered controversy over her apparent attempts to control the prosecution. On Monday, she invoked her authority to command the prosecution directly in its investigation of a high-profile fraud case surrounding an asset management company.

Choo ordered Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to take his hands off the investigation of Lime Asset Management which caused a combined loss of 1.6 trillion won ($1.3 billion) to more than 4,000 investors. She argued that the justice ministry has decided to prevent Yoon from engaging in the investigation because he has balked at revealing the facts behind the case.

The minister also ordered Yoon not to supervise a case involving his wife who was allegedly involved in manipulating Deutsch Motors' share prices. Choo also called for a thorough investigation into allegations that Yoon's mother-in-law set up a geriatric care hospital illegally. She appears to be trying to brand the chief prosecutor as untrustworthy through alleged attempts to cover up the cases.

Yoon accepted Choo's orders ― probably not because he deserves criticism for the cases, but because he wanted to avoid an intensifying conflict with the minister. In fact, Choo has spearheaded a fight against Yoon, an anti-corruption crusader, to weaken his power and prevent the prosecution from digging up dirt on confidants of President Moon Jae-in over alleged corruption, vote rigging and influence peddling.

As Choo pointed out, it is imperative to guarantee a fair and independent investigation into the Lime case as well as cases related to Yoon's family. But she should not attempt to use those cases to hold the prosecutor general in check. It is wrong for her to abuse her power by interfering in a specific case. Such abuse could damage the prosecution's independence and political neutrality.

Choo has become the second justice minister to invoke the authority after Chun Jung-bae in 2005 who ordered then-Prosecutor General Kim Jong-bin to investigate a professor without detention over his controversial remarks about the nature of the 1950-53 Korean War. Regrettably, Choo is now exercising the power for a second time after a case in which a prosecutor, a close associate of Yoon, is suspected of colluding with a former cable channel reporter in pressuring a jailed financier to divulge misdeeds by a prominent pro-government figure.

The Lime case along with another one related to Optimus Asset Management is emerging as a lobbying scandal involving ruling party lawmakers, presidential officials, regulators and prosecutors. Early this month, Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility and the main financial source for Lime, testified in a trial that he had his company CEO offer 50 million won in cash to Kang Ki-jung, then senior presidential secretary for political affairs, in July last year.

Last week, Kim, who is standing trial after being jailed for embezzlement and breach of trust, claimed in a handwritten letter that he also lobbied opposition lawmakers and prosecutors over their fraud schemes to avoid potential criminal charges. His claim led Choo to believe that the prosecution under Yoon's leadership has been negligent in investigating opposition figures while trying to target only ruling bloc figures.

If Minister Choo really wants a fair and thorough investigation, she should allow the prosecution to create an independent team to get to the bottom of the Lime case. She also needs to accept a proposal by the main opposition People Power Party to appoint a special prosecutor who can shed light on the case without being influenced by partisan politics.