Controversy Over Prosecutor Park Sang-yong and the North Korea Remittance Case
- Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who led the investigation into the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, refused to take the witness oath during a National Assembly hearing on April 3,...
- The proceedings were marked by intense conflict between ruling and opposition lawmakers.
- During the hearing, the Democratic Party of Korea released a recording of a phone call between Park and attorney Seo Min-seok that reportedly took place on June 19,...
Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who led the investigation into the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, refused to take the witness oath during a National Assembly hearing on April 3, 2026. The hearing was conducted by the ‘Yoon Suk-yeol Administration Political Prosecution Manipulated Indictment Allegations Fact-Finding Parliamentary Probe Special Committee’ to investigate claims that the prosecution fabricated indictments.
The proceedings were marked by intense conflict between ruling and opposition lawmakers. The confrontation centered on recorded phone conversations involving Park and Seo Min-seok, the defense lawyer for Lee Hwa-young, the former vice governor for peace affairs of Gyeonggi Province. Park attended the session but submitted a statement regarding his refusal to take the oath, contributing to a chaotic atmosphere in the hearing room.
Controversy Over Recorded Conversations
During the hearing, the Democratic Party of Korea released a recording of a phone call between Park and attorney Seo Min-seok that reportedly took place on June 19, 2023. In the audio, Park is heard discussing the strategy for pursuing charges against Lee Jae-myung, who served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province at the time.
Recorded conversation between Prosecutor Park Sang-yong and Attorney Seo Min-seok
Whether it’s third-party bribery or direct bribery, we will go after the accomplice together with Lee Jae-myung,andWe will also pursue abuse of authority as an accomplice charge.
Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi characterized the recordings as evidence that prosecutors created a blueprint
for the case, describing the process as fiction-writer level
rather than legitimate case engineering.
The reactions from government officials were divided. Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho stated that the attitude displayed in the recordings was highly improper and inappropriate
based on the available audio. Conversely, acting Prosecutor General Ku Ja-hyun maintained a more restrained position, stating there was a need to review the recordings in their entirety.
Political Clash and Allegations
The People Power Party strongly rejected the claims made by the opposition. Party representatives accused the Democratic Party of distorting facts and utilizing fabricated recordings to mislead the committee. Despite these denials, the opposition maintained that Lee Jae-myung was connected to the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case.
The dispute has sparked further demands for transparency. Editorial commentary on the matter has emphasized that the conflict over the recordings necessitates the release of a full transcript to resolve the discrepancies between the parties’ interpretations of the conversations.
The refusal of Park Sang-yong to take the witness oath has also become a point of contention, with opposition figures questioning the reasons behind his reluctance to testify under oath during the parliamentary probe.