Han Byung-do: Prosecution leak 'serious matter,' demands Han Dong-hoon inquiry

Democratic Party of Korea Floor Leader Han Byung-do said Thursday that if internal prosecution documents had indeed been leaked, it would be "a truly serious matter." He directed the remarks at independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who has focused his attacks on allegations that Ministry of Justice minister candidate Kim Seung-won lobbied for new-drug clinical trial approval.

"Isn't [Rep. Han] carrying out an illegal political operation using the prosecution's cabinet files?" Han Byung-do said during the party's policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly that day.

"Internal reports drafted during the prosecution's decision-making process must never be leaked to the outside under any circumstances," he said. "An indictment plan that only a select few — the investigation team at the time and the leadership of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office — were permitted to view has been reduced to SNS content."

"If this is true, providing investigative materials constitutes a clear crime, amounting to leaking official secrets or violating the Personal Information Protection Act," Han Byung-do added. "Not only current civil servants but also former civil servants are subject to punishment."

"Since a complaint has already been filed against Rep. Han, the National Office of Investigation should conduct a swift investigation to clearly establish the truth of the matter," he said. "The Democratic Party will respond firmly to all political operations and obstruction attempts to ensure that the confirmation hearings for state council members proceed strictly in accordance with the law and procedure."