Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Sung-yoon / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (57, 23rd Judicial Research and Training Institute), who clashed head-on with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol (59, 23rd Judicial Research and Training Institute) over the handling direction of the 'prosecutor-media collusion' case, reportedly replaced the scheduled weekly briefing on the 1st with a written report.
Since the previous day, the Central District Prosecutors' Office openly expressed dissatisfaction with Prosecutor General Yoon's decision to convene a professional investigative advisory panel (advisory panel) regarding the prosecutor-media collusion case, recommended halting related procedures, and urged the guarantee of the Central District Prosecutors' Office's independence in performing duties, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office responded firmly with a policy of 'unacceptable.' It appears that Chief Prosecutor Lee avoided the uncomfortable situation of facing Prosecutor General Yoon for the time being.
Typically, Chief Prosecutor Lee visits Prosecutor General Yoon every Wednesday afternoon to report on major case investigations. Although there have been occasions when the report was replaced by a written one due to circumstances, choosing a written report instead of a face-to-face briefing amid urgent important investigative issues such as the case of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and the prosecutor-media collusion case, which require urgent discussion between the Prosecutor General and the Chief Prosecutor, seems to be a deliberate act.
If the weekly briefing had proceeded normally that day, Chief Prosecutor Lee was expected to verbally propose once again to Prosecutor General Yoon the position on the advisory panel convening issue related to the prosecutor-media collusion case, which he had recommended to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office through an official document the previous day. Prosecutor General Yoon was also expected to explain the necessity of convening the advisory panel to Chief Prosecutor Lee, but this did not materialize.
The previous day, the Central District Prosecutors' Office stated, "We requested the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to halt the related procedures, citing reasons such as the advisory panel convening being inappropriate in terms of timing and investigation confidentiality, and that holding it simultaneously with the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee would create an abnormal and confusing situation."
They also added, "Considering the special nature of this case, where allegations have been raised against high-ranking prosecutors, and the public concern about it, we requested that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office be granted independence in performing duties equivalent to that of a 'special prosecutor.'"
In response, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office immediately pointed out, "It is difficult to understand the claim that 'the substantive truth and facts have not been sufficiently clarified' now, after reporting the plan to request an arrest warrant to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."
They continued, "Requesting independence equivalent to that of a special prosecutor while failing to persuade regarding the existence of the crime is a claim that abandons the basic principle that investigations, due to their human rights-infringing nature, proceed under the command and approval of higher authorities," clearly stating that they cannot accept the Central District Prosecutors' Office's proposal.
The internal conflict within the prosecution has become an endless situation as the Prosecutor General, who oversees all prosecutorial affairs and holds command and supervisory authority over all prosecutors' office officials, and the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who has taken charge of major important investigations and established himself as the 'one top' within the prosecution after the abolition of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department, have deepened their conflict over the handling direction of specific cases.
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