On Tuesday, Park Sang-yong, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Incheon District Prosecutor’s Office leading the investigation into the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, was dismissed from the National Assembly’s state investigation after refusing to take an oath. This marks the second time he has declined to swear in during such proceedings.
Park justified his refusal by asserting that charges against President Lee Jae-myung must not be dismissed by the special prosecutor.
Representative Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party, who chairs the Special Committee on Investigating Allegations of Political Prosecution Manipulation by the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration, expelled Park from the hearing room for his refusal to take the oath.
When Park attempted to verbally explain his reasons for refusing to testify, Seo cut him off, demanding a written statement instead. As Park persisted in requesting an opportunity to speak, the chair ordered his removal and instructed him to wait nearby.
The National Assembly Testimony and Appraisal Act allows witnesses to decline taking an oath or testifying, provided they offer a justification for doing so.
Prior to his appearance at the National Assembly, Park had announced his intention to refuse the oath on social media. He emphasized that the sole purpose of my refusal is to prevent the special prosecutor from dismissing the charges against President Lee Jae Myung.
Park argued that if a special prosecutor appointed by the president dismisses charges against the president, it would be tantamount to the president dismissing charges against himself. He contended that this would effectively replace judicial judgment with executive power, allowing those in authority to erase their own crimes.
He further stated that this undermines the fundamental principle of the rule of law that no one can be the judge in their own case. It must not compromise the nation’s rule of law and tarnish the constitutional history for the sake of one president.
Park had previously refused to testify on the same grounds during the state investigation held on April 3.
