Kim Sung-soo, a policy advisor to Transparency International-Korea, said the allegations are likely to inflame partisan divisions in South Korea, where attitudes toward North Korea often spilt along ideological lines.
“Definitely this will lead to accusations of partisan bias and political witch hunts,” Kim told Al Jazeera. “The North Korea card has always been good witch hunt material for South Korea’s conservative party, whenever they have been in trouble or in a crisis.”
Kim said the case is also likely to be fraught due to the long history of controversy around the sweeping powers afforded to prosecutors, whom left-leaning figures have often accused of political bias and overreach.