Autumn-Yoon Conflict Appears Resolved... But Deepened Distrust Between Ministry of Justice and Prosecution Remains

[Asia Economy Reporters Seokjin Choi, Hyungmin Kim] By Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol accepting the investigative directive of Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae on the 9th, the confrontation between the two sides, which seemed to escalate to an extreme, appears to be temporarily resolved.

Following the collapse of the 'Independent Investigation Headquarters Formation' proposal that Prosecutor General Yoon had suggested to the Ministry of Justice the previous day, the investigation into the 'prosecutor-media collusion' case will proceed independently under the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office without the general's command.

Yoon notified the Central District Prosecutors' Office of this situation, and the series of events indicates that he has no intention of continuing the ping-pong game with further statements.

◆Avoiding a submissive appearance while steering clear of direct confrontation= The Supreme Prosecutors' Office's explanation that "the general's command authority has already been lost" superficially means that Prosecutor General Yoon has fully accepted the minister's investigative directive.

However, by emphasizing the fact that "anyway, if nothing is done now, the Central District Prosecutors' Office will investigate according to the minister's directive," it seems he tried to avoid the humiliating situation of "fully complying with the investigative directive."

This can also serve as a justification that the internal prosecutorial opinion that the removal of the general's command authority is illegal and unjust was "not ignored."

Meanwhile, regarding the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's mention of Yoon's 2013 removal from duty as the head of the National Intelligence Service case investigation team while explaining the "loss of command authority" on this day, the Ministry of Justice commented, "If the general realized that the feelings he experienced then are not different from those currently felt by this investigation team, it is proper to ensure that the independence and fairness of the investigation are not compromised."

◆Superficial traffic control... uneasy reconciliation of legal and prosecutorial conflicts= With Prosecutor General Yoon's "loss of command authority," the controversy over who leads the prosecutor-media collusion investigation seems to have been settled for the time being. However, the rift between the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, as well as between Minister Chu and Prosecutor General Yoon, has deepened through this incident.

In particular, the "truth game" over who proposed the 'Independent Investigation Headquarters Formation Plan' led by the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chief, which the Supreme Prosecutors' Office suggested the previous day, is a representative example.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated that the Ministry of Justice made such a proposal and that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office accepted it. This was a way to express dissatisfaction with the Ministry by confirming media reports that "Minister Chu overturned the agreement between both sides."

However, the Ministry of Justice drew a line, saying, "Although the Ministry's working-level staff reviewed the request from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, it was never reported to the minister, and there was no request to publicly propose the establishment of an Independent Investigation Headquarters to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

It seems clear that there was behind-the-scenes coordination between the Ministry's Prosecutorial Bureau and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Also, the reason the situation deteriorated appears to be that the outcome agreed upon by both sides did not meet Minister Chu's expectations.

The problem is that regardless of which side's story is true, the Prosecutorial Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, which serves as a communication channel connecting the Ministry and the prosecution, seems unlikely to perform its role properly going forward.

Besides this 'prosecutor-media collusion' case, the Prosecutorial Bureau Chief, who should act as a bridge between Minister Chu and Prosecutor General Yoon in numerous important investigations, has lost trust from the prosecution, making future coordination between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution difficult for a considerable period.

◆The direction of the 'prosecutor-media collusion' investigation now out of Yoon's hands?= With Prosecutor General Yoon's decision on this day, the 'prosecutor-media collusion' investigation will be concluded under the responsibility of Lee Sung-yoon, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Since the investigation team had already planned to request an arrest warrant for former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae, the investigation is expected to accelerate rapidly.

If Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, identified as an accomplice of former reporter Lee, is indicted following the prosecution's investigation, Prosecutor General Yoon's position could become even more precarious.

There is also interest in whether the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee, scheduled to be held on the 10th following the whistleblower's request for convening, will proceed as planned. The previous day, former reporter Lee also requested the convening of the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee.