At the Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee told the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency in particular, "Live up to your name as a serious crimes investigation agency. Without distinguishing between your side and my side, or ruling and opposition parties, investigate thoroughly and without hesitation the crimes of the so-called powerful elite — those with much education and much wealth." He added, "In cases where the public harbors doubts, establish the truth thoroughly so that all suspicion is completely dispelled, and devote all your efforts to securing a fair social order in which no one reaps undue gains."
Lee said, "The functions of investigating, indicting and maintaining prosecutions for major crimes have been separated between the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Office," adding, "The Serious Crimes Investigation Agency's jurisdiction has also been shifted from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety." He continued, "Investigative and prosecutorial bodies serve as the final guarantors of social order," reiterating that they must uncover crimes and impose commensurate accountability while ensuring no one is wrongly accused.
Lee, a former lawyer, said, "What I heard when studying law and have remembered all my life is that 'even if you let ten criminals go, you must not create one wrongly accused suspect,'" citing the presumption of innocence and the principle of deciding in favor of the defendant when in doubt. He added, "To individuals, investigative and prosecutorial bodies are institutions of fear, wielding enormous authority and power. You must ensure no one is wronged, but you also must not let criminals go unchecked — so there must be balance."
He went on, "Strictness, fairness and competence are needed, but unfortunately, since the government was established after liberation, the prosecution has held enormous power — investigation, indictment, maintaining prosecutions, and execution of sentences — and at some point began to abuse it." He continued, "The tendency of the state to abuse its power and pin nonexistent crimes on individuals drew public outrage, and that is how we have arrived at today's situation, where not only the investigative and prosecutorial functions have been separated but their jurisdiction has been changed as well."
Lee added, "The Republic of Korea is now shifting to an entirely new system," saying, "Never again should investigative and prosecutorial functions be abused or swayed by political power, or fail to perform their proper role."
