SEOUL-- Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), on Monday reiterated his willingness to endorse an independent counsel probe into a massive corruption scandal involving one of his former aides.
"My stance is clear," Lee said during an election committee meeting. "We should first give the prosecution an opportunity and see if they would conduct a faithful investigation, but we can't wait forever. Unless they do a proper job, the party should push strongly for a special prosecutor investigation."
The remarks came after Lee said last week that the prosecution should first be allowed to investigate the scandal, and if the investigation leaves unresolved suspicions, an independent counsel probe should be introduced.
Critics slammed the remarks as a "conditional acceptance" of a special prosecutor's probe.
Following a backlash, Lee's camp stressed that the candidate is not reluctant to open a special counsel probe and that he also wants his party to support his move.
The main opposition People Power Party and its presidential nominee Yoon Seok-youl believe Lee is the mastermind of the corruption scandal. Lee has denied involvement in the scandal and apologized only for appointing some "polluted" people during his time as mayor.
"Whether it is Lee Jae-myung or Yoon Seok-youl or Hana Bank or the PPP official, everyone should be thoroughly investigated," Lee said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency