South Korea's Top Prosecutor Apologizes for Abuses of Power for First Time Ever

South Korea's top prosecutor issued an unprecedented apology Tuesday for human rights violations that occurred during the course of several high-profile political cases under authoritarian governments in the past.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korean Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il made a public apology at a briefing on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"I feel regretful and do apologize that the prosecution did not fulfill its duty to adhere to legal procedures and protect human rights in some of the past political cases during authoritarian governments," Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il said at a briefing, as quoted by Yonhap News Agency.

The South Korean prosecution was accused of assisting the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s in cracking down on political opposition figures by characterizing them as having pro-communist views, the news outlet added.

Moon Moo-il was reportedly appointed as the head of the country's Prosecution General's Office in July with the task of promoting transparency, independence from authorities and political neutrality in its investigations.