Senior prosecutor says withdrawal of indictments against Lee not considered

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SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- A senior prosecutor said Monday that the prosecution has not considered withdrawing indictments in cases involving President Lee Jae Myung.

Park Chul-woo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the prosecution, responding to opposition lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun's question about whether he had ever offered an opinion or held discussions with the Supreme Prosecutors Office or the justice ministry on the possible withdrawal of indictments against Lee.

Park Chul-woo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, speaks during a parliamentary audit of the prosecution at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 19, 2026. (Yonhap)

"While I am aware of the great public interest in the cases (involving Lee), they are no different from any other cases," Park said.

"It is a matter of principle that I cannot comment on how specific cases will be handled. Likewise, it is not appropriate to discuss at the parliamentary audit whether an indictment or an arrest will be pursued in any given case."

Regarding the fact-finding team under the justice ministry's future committee for respect for human rights, which some say could provide grounds for dropping charges in the future, Park said he was not involved in its work and had no knowledge of the details of its investigations.

Lee faced multiple criminal trials before winning the presidential election in June last year. The trials have been suspended because sitting presidents are immune from criminal prosecution while in office, except in the case of insurrection or treason.

Senior prosecutor says withdrawal of indictments against Lee not considered

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首尔，10月19日（韩联社）——一名高级检察官周一表示，检方尚未考虑撤销涉及总统李在明的案件的起诉。

首尔中央地方检察厅厅长朴哲宇在国会接受检察机关审计时发表了上述言论。当时，反对党议员尹相铉询问朴哲宇是否曾就撤销对李某的起诉向最高检察厅或司法部提出意见或进行过讨论。

2026年10月19日，首尔中央地方检察厅厅长朴哲宇在首尔国会出席检察机关审计听证会并发表讲话。（韩联社）

“虽然我知道公众对（涉及李的）案件非常关注，但这些案件与其他任何案件并无不同，”朴说道。

“原则上，我不能评论具体案件的处理方式。同样，在议会审计会议上讨论是否会对任何特定案件提起诉讼或进行逮捕也是不合适的。”

对于司法部未来尊重人权委员会下属的事实调查小组（有人认为该小组的调查结果可能在未来为撤销指控提供依据），朴槿惠表示他没有参与该小组的工作，也不了解其调查的细节。

李在去年6月赢得总统大选前曾面临多项刑事审判。这些审判已被暂停，因为在任总统在任期间享有刑事豁免权，除非涉及叛乱或叛国罪。

高级检察官表示，不考虑撤销对李某的起诉。