'Regime Investigation' Deputy Chief Prosecutors All Replaced... Yoon Faction 'Disbanded' Again

Prosecutor Mid-Level Personnel Changes on the 23rd
All 1st to 4th Deputy Chiefs of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Transferred to Provinces
Prosecutor General Yoon's Request for Retention Not Reflected
Three Major Regime Corruption Investigation Teams Virtually Disbanded

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] All the leadership investigating the current administration's misconduct will be replaced. On the 23rd, the Ministry of Justice carried out the '2020 First Half Prosecutor Personnel Changes,' transferring all four deputy chief prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to provincial offices. Many department heads and planning officers at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office were also replaced. Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's request to retain mid-level investigators in the current investigation team was ignored. Following the high-ranking personnel changes of chief prosecutors on the 8th, this mid-level personnel reshuffle effectively dismantles the three major administration misconduct investigation teams.

The Ministry of Justice announced that on the 3rd of next month, it will implement promotions and transfers for 759 prosecutors, including 257 prosecutors at the senior prosecutor level (deputy chiefs and chiefs) and 502 general prosecutors.

Through this personnel change, all first, second, third, and fourth deputy chiefs of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who are investigating important cases such as administration misconduct, will be relocated to provincial prosecutors' offices. Song Kyung-ho, the third deputy chief who led the investigation into the corruption of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's family, will be transferred to Yeoju Branch Office. Shin Bong-soo, the second deputy chief investigating the Blue House election interference allegations, will move to Pyeongtaek Branch Office. Shin Ja-yong, the first deputy chief handling the preferential loan allegations related to Wooridle Hospital, will be transferred to Busan East Branch Office. Han Seok-ri, the fourth deputy chief, will be transferred to Daegu West Branch Office.

The new first, second, third, and fourth deputy chiefs of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office will be Lee Jung-hyun, deputy chief of Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office; Lee Geun-soo, Defense Acquisition Program Administration inspector who was dispatched; Shin Sung-sik, first deputy chief of Busan District Prosecutors' Office; and Kim Wook-joon, chief of Suncheon Branch Office, respectively.

Many chiefs who have led practical investigations under the deputy chiefs will also be relocated. Ko Hyung-gon, head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Cho Kuk family investigation team, will be transferred to Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, and Park Seung-dae, head of the Criminal Division 4 of the Wooridle Hospital investigation team, will move to Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. However, Kim Tae-eun, head of the Public Investigation Division 2, handling the Ulsan mayor election interference case, will remain in his position. Gu Sang-yeop, head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1, will move to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office as a research officer, and Heo Jeong, head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 3, will be transferred to the chief of Criminal Division 1 at Seongnam Branch Office. Jeong Jin-yong, head of the Public Investigation Division 1, will move to chief of Criminal Division 1 at Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office.

The heads of Anti-Corruption Investigation Divisions 1 and 2 will be Kim Hyung-geun, deputy chief of Seongnam Branch Office, and Jeon Jun-cheol, head of Criminal Division 6 at Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, respectively. Yang Dong-hoon, head of the Public Investigation Division at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, will move to head of Public Investigation Division 1. Shin Hyung-sik, head of Criminal Division 2 at Busan District Prosecutors' Office, will take charge of Criminal Division 4.

Lee Bok-hyun, head of Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 4, who led investigations related to Samsung BioLogics and other Samsung cases, will move to the newly established Economic Crime Criminal Division (formerly Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 3), ensuring continuity of the investigation. Due to the reorganization of the prosecutors' office, the Samsung case was reassigned from Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 4 to the Economic Crime Criminal Division.

At Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, where the Yoo Jae-soo cover-up investigation was underway, Deputy Chief Hong Seung-wook will be transferred to Cheonan Branch Office. Lee Jung-seop, head of Criminal Division 6, who was in charge of the related investigation, will remain. At Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, investigating the SillaJen allegations, Deputy Chief Shin Eung-seok will move to deputy chief of Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office.

More than half of the department heads and planning officers at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office at the deputy chief and chief prosecutor level, whom Prosecutor General Yoon requested to retain, will leave their posts. Yang Seok-jo, senior researcher of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and a key figure in the so-called 'funeral home insubordination' incident before the personnel changes, will be transferred to Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office. Kim Seong-hoon, head of the Public Security Investigation Support Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, will become head of Criminal Division 1 at Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office. Kim Yoo-cheol, head of Investigation Information Policy, will be transferred to chief of Wonju Branch Office, and Im Hyun, head of Public Investigation Policy, will move to deputy chief of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office. Park Se-hyun, specialist public relations officer at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, will move to Seoul High Prosecutors' Office.

Kim Tae-hoon, head of Criminal Division 5 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, will be appointed as the Ministry of Justice's prosecutor in charge of prosecution personnel and budget management. Among all senior prosecutors nationwide, Jeong Jin-ung, head of Criminal Division 1 at Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed as the most senior chief prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 1. Park Jae-hyun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, will move to chief of Pohang Branch Office, and this position will be filled by Koo Ja-hyun, chief of Pyeongtaek Branch Office.

The Ministry of Justice stated regarding this personnel change, "We actively selected prosecutors who have quietly and faithfully performed basic duties in criminal and trial divisions, prosecutors dedicated to human rights protection, excellent prosecutors recommended by institution heads, and prosecutors who have fulfilled their duties at high prosecutors' offices, etc. Most of the heads and deputy heads of the current investigation teams for ongoing cases were retained to continue their existing investigation and trial work."