"President and Ministers' Prosecutor Appointment Authority Must Be Respected"… President Moon Supports Choo

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kang Nahum and Jeon Jinyoung] On the 14th, President Moon Jae-in addressed the controversy over the prosecution's defiance regarding personnel appointments, stating, "If the Prosecutor General, who should express opinions on personnel matters, says that 'I can only give my opinion if the personnel list is brought to a third location,' it is a regression in the personnel process."

At the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House State Guest House that day, in response to a reporter's question asking, "Is this prosecution personnel appointment intended to block uncomfortable investigations from the Blue House's perspective?" President Moon said, "Just as the prosecution's investigative authority must be respected, so too must the personnel rights of the Minister and the President."

This is interpreted as President Moon effectively siding with Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae amid the recent conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution over personnel appointments.

However, President Moon added, "I do not want to evaluate Prosecutor General Yoon based on that one issue (regarding expressing opinions)," explaining, "When the personnel committee is supposed to make recommendations, the method of recommendation and the way opinions are expressed were not standardized." He continued, "I believe this incident occurred in a situation where the methods and procedures were not well established, and I hope that this occasion will lead to the establishment of procedures for expressing opinions and making recommendations that the public can understand."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the issue of trust in the prosecution, President Moon emphasized Prosecutor General Yoon's role. He said, "If Prosecutor General Yoon takes the lead in improving the prosecution's organizational culture, he will gain more trust." He added, "Investigations by the prosecution must always be conducted strictly and fairly, whether involving current power, past power, or the prosecution itself," and warned, "If some cases are investigated selectively and diligently while others are not properly investigated, it will undermine the fairness of investigations and cause the public to lose trust."

President Moon spoke about former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, saying, "I feel a great debt of gratitude just for the hardships he has endured so far." He stated, "I believe his contributions as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and Minister of Justice, leading up to the passage of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials Act and prosecution reform bills, were very significant," and added, "Whether he is guilty or not will be determined through investigation and trial processes, but regardless of the outcome, I feel a great debt of gratitude for the hardships former Minister Cho has endured."

Regarding allegations of a 'commanded investigation' during the Ulsan mayoral election process, President Moon said, "It is inappropriate to comment on ongoing investigations."

However, concerning concerns about the stalling of the Ulsan Public Hospital (Industrial Accident Hospital) project due to investigations, he said, "(The Ulsan Public Hospital project) was already pledged during the 2012 presidential election and again in the 2017 presidential election. Actual discussions began during the Roh Moo-hyun administration or even earlier, long ago."

President Moon continued, "The regional public hospital project had long been stalled because it could not pass the feasibility evaluation hurdle, but the government allowed exemption from preliminary feasibility studies as part of the national balanced development project after hearing opinions from local governments nationwide, and the Industrial Accident Hospital was included among these projects," adding, "I understand that the prosecution is investigating whether there were any shortcomings during the exemption process. Investigations must, of course, be conducted strictly, but regardless of the investigation, I promise that the Industrial Accident Hospital project will continue without change."