Prosecutor Personnel Committee Meeting Held Today
Attention on Possible Replacement of Senior Prosecutors at Supreme Prosecutors' Office
Watchful for Changes in Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Political Investigation Team
Criticism of Justice Minister Appointment as 'Rubber Stamp'
Yoon Seok-yeol Reports 'All Senior Prosecutors Retained'
Critical Juncture in Political Investigations
Senior Prosecutors Repeatedly Defy Orders
Minister Choo Criticizes 'Prosecutors' Rebellion at Funeral'
Promises to 'Restore Discipline' and Hints at Disciplinary Actions
[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyung-min and Song Seung-yoon] As the Prosecutor Personnel Committee convenes today (20th) to discuss the mid-level prosecutor personnel plan, intense attention is focused on whether the personnel plan that would effectively dismantle the so-called 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction' will be approved as is. Given the composition and nature of the Personnel Committee, it seems unlikely that Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's personnel plan will be overturned, but considering Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's expressed opinions and the currently negative public sentiment, the possibility of an unexpected outcome cannot be ruled out. The judgment of this Personnel Committee has become a critical turning point for the 'regime investigation.'
The Ministry of Justice will hold a Personnel Committee meeting at 2 p.m. today to discuss promotions and transfers at the level of senior prosecutors (deputy chief prosecutors and chief prosecutors). There is keen interest in whether mid-level prosecutors who led the regime investigations will be largely replaced, as was the case in previous high-level prosecutor personnel changes. The Personnel Committee is a deliberative body that sets the overall direction for prosecutor promotions and transfers. It is composed of 11 members, including three prosecutors, two judges, two lawyers, two law professors, and two external members. The Minister of Justice appoints or commissions most of the members. Since the committee reviews a pre-arranged personnel plan mainly to check for disqualifications among candidates and decide the direction of personnel changes, it is often criticized as merely a 'rubber stamp.' As a deliberative body rather than a decision-making body, it does not make specific personnel decisions.
However, there is also a view that this time the situation is somewhat different. Since Prosecutor General Yoon has conveyed his opinion to the Ministry of Justice to retain all mid-level prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, there is a possibility that this opinion will be discussed at the Personnel Committee stage. In a previous high-level personnel review, the Personnel Committee unanimously rejected the appointment of former Tongyeong Branch Chief Prosecutor Ryu Hyuk as chief prosecutor.
Based on the Personnel Committee's results, Minister Choo will propose the personnel plan to the President, who will then approve it, and the personnel changes will be implemented. Typically, when the Personnel Committee convenes, the personnel results are announced on the same afternoon or at the latest the following day.
◆ Whether the Supreme Prosecutors' Office section chief-level prosecutors will be sidelined is key = The main focus of this personnel change is whether Yang Seok-jo, Senior Research Officer at the Anti-Corruption and Violence Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Kim Seong-hoon, Chief of Public Security Division 1 under the Public Investigation Department, will be transferred. They are considered representative figures of the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction' among the Supreme Prosecutors' Office section chief-level personnel. Senior Research Officer Yang worked with Prosecutor General Yoon on the Park Geun-hye administration's state affairs manipulation investigation, and Chief Kim joined the National Intelligence Service comment manipulation investigation team and worked with Prosecutor General Yoon.
After entering the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Senior Research Officer Yang assisted in the investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's family allegations, and Chief Kim was involved in directing the investigation into the Blue House's interference in the Ulsan mayoral election. Additionally, if Um Hee-jun, Head of Investigation Command, and Yoon Byung-jun, Head of Investigation Support, both working in the Anti-Corruption and Violence Division, leave the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, it is expected to cause a significant impact. The transfer status of Im Hyun, Public Security Planning Officer, Lee Hee-dong, Chief of Public Security Division 2, and Yoo Do-yoon, Chief of Public Security Division 3, is also drawing attention. Most of these prosecutors were appointed to their current positions after Prosecutor General Yoon's inauguration in July last year.
Since the Supreme Prosecutors' Office section chiefs are responsible for investigation command and support tasks, they have a more detailed understanding of the investigation contents than the heads of each department. They are also called the so-called 'field commanders' at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. They guide the direction of actual investigations at local prosecutor offices, provide support, and act as a 'channel' conveying the intentions of the Prosecutor General and department heads.
Due to the nature of these duties, if the section chiefs do not share a consensus with the Prosecutor General and department heads regarding the investigations, conflicts may arise. The incident on the 18th, where Senior Research Officer Yang 'disobeyed' his direct superior, Anti-Corruption and Violence Division Chief Shim Jae-cheol, at a funeral hall for a Supreme Prosecutors' Office prosecutor, is evidence that friction has already begun.
In legal circles, as Senior Research Officer Yang's name surfaced as a likely transfer candidate, there is an analysis that he disobeyed Chief Shim, prepared to be sidelined. A similar situation occurred at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, where an actual investigation team is formed. On the 16th, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song Kyung-ho of the Central District Prosecutors' Office made a protest remark at an executive meeting, quoting Prosecutor General Yoon's inaugural speech last year: "The prosecutorial authority granted by the people must be used only for the people and not for any specific faction," directed at his direct superior, Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Sung-yoon. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song, along with First Deputy Shin Ja-yong and Second Deputy Shin Bong-soo, is a mid-level prosecutor likely to be sidelined in this personnel change.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice distributed a statement titled 'Notice Regarding Misconduct at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Executive's Funeral' to reporters today. In the notice, the Ministry conveyed Minister Choo's position, stating, "As the highest supervisor of the Ministry of Justice and prosecution, the Minister deeply regrets this." Minister Choo pointed out, "Inappropriate behavior and speech that even ordinary people would not do in public," and added, "We will change the prosecution's flawed organizational culture and ensure public service discipline is properly established." This is also interpreted as implying disciplinary action against key Supreme Prosecutors' Office executives who showed disobedient attitudes toward their superiors, such as Senior Research Officer Yang, using this incident as a pretext.
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