Kim Soo-hyun, Head of Criminal Division 1 at Busan District Prosecutors' Office, Says "Chu Mi-ae's Investigation Command Was Wrong"... Direct Hit at Prosecutor General Lee Sung-yoon Too

"Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District, Doubts Fair and Thorough Investigation"
"Reporting Investigation Status to Minister Without Informing Prosecutor General Violates Publicity Rules"
"Repeated Clumsy Attempts to Oust Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook in 2013 Seem to Recur"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] A current chief prosecutor has openly criticized Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae’s investigative directive that halted the expert advisory panel procedure on the ‘prosecutor-media collusion’ case and ordered the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office not to interfere in the investigation.

The chief prosecutor stated, “In the current situation where investigation details that are not even reported to the Prosecutor General are being directly reported to the Minister of Justice, doubts arise about the fair and thorough investigation by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office,” delivering a direct blow to Lee Sung-yoon, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Kim Soo-hyun, chief prosecutor of the Criminal Division 1 at the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office (age 49, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 30), posted a message titled “Today’s (7.2) investigative directive by the Minister of Justice is unjust and must be withdrawn” on the internal prosecution network e-Pros, criticizing Minister Chu’s investigative directive as unfair.

Kim said, “The Minister of Justice has effectively concluded that the nature of this case is ‘prosecutor-media collusion involving a sitting chief prosecutor conspiring with a journalist,’” but pointed out, “However, this case is still under investigation, and it is not the stage to definitively determine the nature of the matter; it can also be viewed from various other perspectives.”

He emphasized, “For example, the case could be characterized as ‘a journalist excessively obsessed with scoops impersonating a sitting chief prosecutor to attempt an unreasonable investigation’ or ‘a case where the source was blatantly misled by being told that cooperation would result in favorable treatment by the prosecution.’ Reviewing the journalist’s letters and recordings, it is entirely possible to define the nature of the case differently from prosecutor-media collusion.”

Kim criticized, “Nevertheless, the Minister of Justice has prematurely determined the nature of the case based solely on media allegations and exercised investigative directive authority on that basis, which I believe is fundamentally flawed from the outset.”

He added, “If the person under suspicion is excluded from duty and presumed guilty merely based on media allegations, it raises concerns about how independent and fair investigations by prosecutors can be guaranteed in the future, and ultimately, the damage will fall squarely on the public.”

Kim also raised concerns about the investigation status of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office seemingly being reported frequently to Minister Chu.

He wrote, “In this regard, it is problematic that the Minister of Justice is disclosing detailed investigation information to the media and the National Assembly, which violates the public relations guidelines that the Ministry of Justice itself created and emphasized implementing,” and “Furthermore, the Minister of Justice’s detailed knowledge of summons facts and evidence relationships, which can only be known through detailed reports from the investigation team, is a seriously concerning situation when viewed against reporting rules and past practices.”

He questioned, “Since when has the investigation team been directly reporting to the Minister of Justice information about ongoing investigations that were not even reported to the Prosecutor General?”

Kim expressed distrust toward Prosecutor General Lee Sung-yoon, stating, “The main issue with this investigative directive is the understanding that because a close aide of the Prosecutor General is the subject of suspicion, the investigation needs to be fair and thorough. While this is an entirely reasonable statement, given the current situation, entrusting the investigation to the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office does not dispel doubts about fairness and thoroughness, so it does not sound entirely convincing.”

He continued, “The head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has already blatantly disclosed internal recommendations regarding the Prosecutor General to the media, engaging in media play; ignored requests for the full text of the arrest warrant to exercise the Prosecutor General’s command authority; and, after threatening to request an arrest warrant, now claims it is not the time to convene the expert advisory panel because the investigation is insufficient, which raises reasonable suspicion that the investigation’s conclusion has been predetermined and the process is being followed accordingly.”

He concluded by asking the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s inspection departments, “Why is the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, who refuses the Prosecutor General’s investigative directive, not being inspected? If a frontline agency head orders a detailed report on evidence relationships due to doubts about the criminality of a prosecutor’s arrest warrant request, and the subordinate refuses, saying ‘I cannot trust you and will not disclose it,’ should such disobedience no longer be subject to disciplinary action?”

Kim expressed, “There are many unprecedented events during my 20 years as a prosecutor,” and earnestly requested, “Please all reflect on yourselves and act with utmost caution and the spirit of moderation.”

He ended his message by saying, “It is heartbreaking to see what appears to be a repeat of the petty attempt to oust former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook in 2013. Nevertheless, if the fixed-term Prosecutor General is removed mid-term, I am deeply considering what I can do from my position.”

The internal backlash within the prosecution against Minister Chu’s investigative directive that excluded Prosecutor General Yoon from investigation supervision is expected to intensify gradually.