Seoul Prosecutor Chief Affirms No Intent to Drop Charges Against President Lee

In a session of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Park Cheol-woo, head of the Seoul office of the Public Prosecution Service, asserted that he has never thought about withdrawing the accusations against President Lee Jae Myung. He acknowledged the high public attention surrounding Lee’s suspended criminal proceedings but emphasized that the cases are treated no differently from other prosecutions.

Park declined to comment on how individual cases should be managed, citing one outlet practice of not discussing indictments during parliamentary audits. He also clarified that he has no role in, nor knowledge of, the justice ministry’s fact-finding team that faces criticism for potentially uncovering reasons to drop the charges. Park is mentioned as a possible successor to the prosecutor general, alongside acting prosecutor general Lee Jeong-hyeon and Seoul Southern District chief Seong Sang-heon.