Opening Ceremony of the Ministry of Justice Spokesperson Office
Proposal by Minister Chu, Unexpected Meeting
Likely Conveyed Minister's Views on Prosecutorial Reform Cooperation and Investigation Authority Adjustment
Controversy Over Non-Disclosure of Indictments Spreads
Impact on Samsung and Other Cases
Voices Concerned About Citizens' Right to Know
[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyung-min and Song Seung-yoon] On the 6th, Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who had maintained a tense relationship due to the prosecution personnel turmoil, insubordination controversy, and investigations targeting the Blue House, held an unannounced meeting.
On that day, Minister Chu visited the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and held a sudden meeting with Prosecutor General Yoon. It is known that the meeting was arranged at Minister Chu's proposal. This was Minister Chu's first visit to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office since her inauguration, and the second meeting between the two since the Prosecutor General paid a courtesy visit to the newly appointed minister at the Government Complex Gwacheon on the 7th of last month. Originally, Minister Chu was scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Ministry of Justice spokesperson's office (Uijeonggwan) on the second floor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, which was prepared according to her wishes, but she decided to meet with Prosecutor General Yoon beforehand.
Attention is focused on what kind of conversation took place between the Justice Minister and the Prosecutor General, who had been engaged in intense psychological warfare. Although the meeting was very brief, since Minister Chu was the one who proposed it, it is believed that she requested cooperation for the upcoming prosecution reform and conveyed the minister's intentions regarding the changing investigative environment due to the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution and the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.
Meanwhile, Minister Chu, who has been continuing her 'my way' approach amid various controversies such as the dismantling of the regime investigation team and the decision to keep indictments confidential, made a sudden visit to Prosecutor General Yoon on this day, which can also be interpreted as a sign of maintaining this series of policies. Minister Chu attended the opening ceremony of the Ministry of Justice spokesperson's office, 'Uijeonggwan,' lending strength to the 'voice of the Ministry of Justice.' This was a bold move despite the controversy sparked by the announcement the day before that the indictment related to the Blue House's election interference suspicion case would not be disclosed. It is reported that when setting the policy of non-disclosure of the indictment, Minister Chu told Ministry of Justice officials, "I will bear the political burden."
This is the first time since moving into the building in 1982 that the Ministry of Justice has set up a spokesperson's office inside the prosecution building rather than the Government Complex Gwacheon. Minister Chu has maintained the position that the Ministry of Justice's publicity function should be strengthened to change the situation where reports related to investigations mainly reflect the prosecution's stance. However, there is also an analysis that this is a strategic move to gain an advantage in the upcoming public opinion battle with the prosecution. Fierce public opinion battles are expected when follow-up practical work begins regarding the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution and the introduction of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.
The prosecution views this move unfavorably. They argue that this sudden measure taken amid ongoing investigations related to the regime is inappropriate. There are even comments that the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution coexisting under one roof is 'close to a comedy.' Especially since recent actions by the Ministry of Justice, including the controversial non-disclosure of indictments and the 'passing over' controversy in the prosecution personnel process, are evaluated as 'one-way traffic,' there are views that doubt the sincerity of the intention to strengthen communication.
The controversy over the 'non-disclosure of indictments' announced by Minister Chu the day before is also spreading widely in the legal community. Since Minister Chu cited "wrong practices" as the reason for refusing to submit the indictment, it is argued that this principle should have been applied equally to other cases. It is expected to affect whether the indictment will be disclosed in the 'Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries merger suspicion' case, which is about to indict related parties. Regarding this, a Ministry of Justice official publicly responded to reporters, "According to the principle, the original indictment will not be submitted even if anonymized."
However, voices concerned about the infringement of the 'public's right to know' are not insignificant. Kim Kyung-yul, former co-executive director of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, stated in an urgent commentary from the Economic Democracy 21 Preparatory Committee the day before, "This Ministry of Justice measure ignores the public's right to know and is likely to further solidify 'collusion between politics and law,' 'collusion between politics and economy,' and 'collusion between law and prosecution.' The ripple effects should be noted." He argued, "If the disclosure of indictments is refused, the public's right to know can only be fulfilled through trials, but if the court decides to hold closed trials, the case will inevitably be concealed."
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