Hong Joon-pyo says abolishing prosecutors' investigative powers 'impossible,' blames Yoon and Han for political prosecution

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo said the debate over abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers stems from the "political prosecution" practices of Yoon Suk Yeol and Han Dong-hoon, but argued that abolition is not an option.

Hong took to social media Monday to say that "the fact that prosecutors today are being branded a political prosecution agency and their investigative powers are being pushed to the brink of abolition is entirely the result of the corrupt political prosecution practices of Yoon Suk Yeol and Han Dong-hoon."

He went on to say that "they had already been at the center of political prosecution during the Moon Jae-in administration, rising rapidly to prominence and manipulating Korean society from the heart of power."

Hong, himself a former prosecutor, said that was precisely why he had watched "their atrocities and the cover they received from the clan media cartel with deep concern." He nonetheless argued that "even while criticizing the two, the full abolition of prosecutorial investigative powers is impossible — the vast majority of prosecutors are focused solely on investigations, and political cases account for less than 1 percent of prosecutorial work."

He added that "it is not the right way to govern a country to condemn the majority of prosecutors — the last guardians protecting the public from crime — because of the less than 1 percent who are political prosecutors."

Hong said that "if even the supplementary investigative powers are abolished, it will become a paradise for criminals. It will bring national misfortune if politicians who do not understand investigative practice treat the entire prosecution service as criminal through endless witch hunts."