The real heated debate starts in the afternoon... 'Yoon Seok-yeol Faction' District Prosecutors Visit the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is expected to decide on the 3rd whether to accept Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's investigation directive regarding the so-called 'media-prosecution collusion' suspicion case. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office will hold meetings with high-ranking prosecutors nationwide in the morning and afternoon to discuss whether to accept Minister Choo's investigation directive. The photo shows prosecutors entering the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building that day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The real stage for the nationwide prosecutors' chiefs meeting discussing whether to accept Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's investigative command is likely to be in the afternoon.

This is because a large number of prosecutors' chiefs close to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, classified as the so-called 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction,' will attend.

At 2 p.m., the metropolitan area prosecutors' chiefs will gather for a meeting at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and at 4 p.m., the provincial prosecutors' chiefs will convene.

At the 4 p.m. meeting, Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Jeju District (former Head of the Public Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon District (former Head of the Scientific Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), as well as Moon Hong-sung, Chief Prosecutor of Changwon District (former Head of the Human Rights Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), and Noh Jeong-yeon, Chief Prosecutor of Jeonju District (former Head of the Trial and Litigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), among others, will attend the meeting room at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

These individuals are well aware of Prosecutor General Yoon's intention in urgently convening the meeting and are expected to actively express their opinions during the meeting, thereby enhancing the legitimacy of the meeting. It is highly likely that Prosecutor General Yoon will argue that he does not have to comply with Minister Choo's investigative command.

Attention is also focused on whether Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District, who has clashed with Prosecutor General Yoon and caused the current situation, will attend the 2 p.m. meeting.

Although an official attendance notice was sent from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, it is uncertain whether Chief Prosecutor Lee will actually attend.

If Chief Prosecutor Lee attends the meeting, there is a possibility that the scene from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office meeting in February will be reenacted. At that time, during a meeting of nationwide prosecutors' chiefs held ahead of the general election investigation, Chief Prosecutor Moon Chan-seok of Gwangju District strongly criticized Chief Prosecutor Lee in front of other prosecutors' chiefs for refusing Prosecutor General Yoon's order to indict those involved in the 'Blue House election interference' suspicion case.

Recently, criticism has also emerged within the prosecution that the investigation related to the collusion between prosecutors and media is being reported directly to Minister Choo instead of Prosecutor General Yoon. Therefore, there is a considerable possibility that critical remarks will be made against Chief Prosecutor Lee, who has shown a defiant attitude toward Prosecutor General Yoon.