The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office says it will verify a media report that the prosecution impelled an opposition party lawmaker to file formal complaints against ruling camp figures when Yoon Seok-youl was serving as prosecutor general. 

An official at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office told Seoul-based Yonhap News that the office has seen the media report, adding that it has yet to decide on how to confirm the report. 

Earlier in the day, online media outlet, Newsverse, said a director-general at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, back in April of last year two weeks before the general elections, delivered an official complaint file to Kim Woong, who was running for a parliamentary seat as a nominee for the United Future Party(UFP), the precursor to the current main opposition People Power Party. 

The complaint accused the head of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, Rhyu Si-min as well as Choi Kang-wook and Hwang Hee-seok, who were nominees for the minor liberal Open Democratic Party, which has previously acted together with the ruling Democratic party, accusing them of violating the Public Official Election Act and defaming Yoon, his wife and senior prosecutor, Han Dong-hoon.  

Newsverse said the prosecution had sought to rope in the opposition camp in its scheme to have ruling camp figures face investigations, adding that these three mentioned in the complaint had been making comments opposing Yoon at the time. 

The outlet said the UFP, however, refused to take the bait and did not file the complaint.