The Hanguk Ilbo reports that Korean prosecutors are pissed at Lone Star Fund’s “complete lack of respect” for the Korean legal system.
According to prosecutors, the “Lone Star 3″—vice chairman Ellis Short, general counsel Michael Thompson and Lone Star Advisors Korea president Paul Yoo—have made clear their intention not to respond to a final demand by prosecutors to appear in Korea by Nov. 14 for questioning. One prosecutorial official said that Lone Star’s people have been asking that the executives be told what they’ll be questioned on before hand and that they be guaranteed exit from Korea, but when prosecutors said no, they responded by sarcastically telling Korean prosecutors to “come to the United States to investigate or do whatever the like.” The official added that Lone Star is “showing no respect at all for the Korean legal system.”
Well, at any rate, if you don’t succeed the first or second time, try, try again, so prosecutors are making a third request for arrest warrants for the Lone Star 3.
14 Comments
When will those prosecutors learn that they are NOT the overlords of the Korean justice system?
Respect is not given, it is earned. If the so called prosecutors want the respect they so much crave, then they SHOULD do their jobs professionally.
Mins0306 beat me to it, but if I could add something it would be Lone Star will show respect the minute the prosecutors show respect for the Korean legal system.
Perhaps when Korea develops a legal system deserving of respect…
I agree, but that is an unwelcome alien conceit in Confucian Korea.
Perhaps the it would be wiser by asking why it is that the average Korean citizen does not have confidence in the Korean legal system. I know I have little faith in it though parts of it are largely run by decent people.
Have to second #5’s observation: Ask a hundred Koreans if they think their justice system effectively and impartially dispenses justice, and 99 of them will probably burn your ears cursing. Why prosecutors expect foreigners to “respect” the system Koreans themselves consider a corrupt joke is a either a testament to how out of touch they (prosecutors) are with Korean society, or a cynical nationalistic whine after getting turned down.
A hat tip, though, to the judge who actually seems to have had the integrity or logic to say “You’ve seized every file, and investigated for months, and now you want arrest warrents for what even you admit is no evidence, only ’suspicion’? Piss off and stop wasting my time”
The whole process is based on emotion instead the facts. Because Lone Star would not play the “game”, the prosecution is out to get them any way possible. Basically, the prosecution are acting like a bunch of vigilantes, trying to stretch the law to help them “save face” because at this point from my viewpoint, looks like the prosecution is going to lose this one.
Anyone have any idea why the judges are standing up to the prosecutor this time? As Brendon and others have noted, the judiciary have become little more than rubber stamps to the prosecutors’ office over the past 10 years or so. Is there something unique about this case, does Lone Star just have better counsel, or is the prosecutor so out of line that even a Korean judge has to ignore him?
Haisan–I think you have it wrong. The judges are no longer the rubber stampers they used to be. Every year the judiciary rejects more arrest warrant requests–I think it’s something like 21% rejection in 2005, up from 0% in 2003.
Wait a minute — I haven’t argued that the Korean court has become little more than a rubber stamp for the prosecution “over the last 10 years”. As Wedge noted, while the court historically has been more pliable than one would find in the West, it’s got more and more backbone over the last 10 years. And my position has always been that the Korean court is the most professional and independent institution in the country. It’s much better than the executive.
Sorry Brendon. I thought I had read the opposite. Good to know that things have started getting better recently.
…now if only the judges working the IP cases can get a clue…
Korea Inc will not be Korea Inc if the system doesn’t unite to take those barbarians down.
“And my position has always been that the Korean court is the most professional and independent institution in the country. It’s much better than the executive”
and it takes the executive to support the independence of the judiciary, otherwise youd have cunts like lee hoi chang running around rubber stamping shit for dictators
but if you wine and dine with the yangban who pillage the country…
Like little boys they will hold their breath and stamp thier feet. What a joke. Ha ha in the land of frozen French babies.