Prosecution Sent Ultimatum To MDP Chairman Chyung

The Seoul District Public Prosecutor`s Office delivered an ultimatum Wednesday to Chyung Dai-chul, chairman of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), giving him the choice of appearing for questioning or facing a court-issued arrest warrant.

It set a 10 a.m. Friday deadline and said it would be the last time for the politician to be asked to report, threatening a tougher approach if he declined. The district prosecutor`s office said it would seek an arrest warrant against the MDP chairman on July 19.

An official at the prosecutor`s office said, “We will summon the MDP chairman on July 18 because the nation`s Constitutional Promulgation Day comes on July 17. Usually, in accordance with the procedural process of dealing with a criminal case, the prosecution sends a summons third times to give a suspect a final chance of an explanation before a formal investigation begins.”

The prosecution said that the letter requesting the MDP chairman`s appearance at a questioning session clearly stated it was an “ultimatum” to him.

Myoung-Gun Lee Jin-Young Hwang gun43@donga.com buddy@donga.com