[Column] Prosecution Personnel Changes That Undermined the Purity of 'Prosecution Reform'

Seokjin Choi, Head of the Legal Affairs Team.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's post on her Facebook last weekend regarding the 'prosecutor personnel appointments' has become a hot topic.

Almost all media outlets, including pro-government ones, are evaluating the recent appointments of senior officials at the level of chief prosecutors and above as 'isolating the Prosecutor General and favoring the Choo Mi-ae and Lee Seong-yoon factions.'

Nevertheless, Minister Choo self-assessed by saying, "The phrase 'someone's faction' should now disappear from the prosecution."

As Minister Choo said, the message conveyed by this personnel appointment is clear.

Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, whom the Prosecution Investigation Deliberation Committee ordered to 'stop not only the indictment but also the investigation,' and Deputy Chief Prosecutors under Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, who led the investigation of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, were promoted to chief prosecutors and took key positions known as the 'Big 4' within the prosecution.

Chief prosecutors who defied Prosecutor General Yoon by following the government's stance in cases such as the 'Yoo Jae-soo inspection cover-up incident' and the 'media-prosecution collusion' case were also promoted.

It is not difficult to interpret this as a message that 'our side' will be firmly supported.

The second message is that prosecutors who point a knife at the regime or rebel against it will inevitably be demoted.

Moon Chan-seok, the first-class certified specialist prosecutor (so-called 'Black Belt') No. 1, who gave 'bitter criticism' to Chief Prosecutor Lee, was demoted to the head of the Planning Department at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, where newly appointed chief prosecutors are assigned, and subsequently left the prosecution.

The problem is that this trend is likely to become even more blatant in the upcoming mid-level personnel appointments.

Minister Choo said in her Facebook post, "The unexpected appointments that the media did not predict are not the point."

This is said out of ignorance. Minister Choo's recent appointments have chillingly realized exactly what the media predicted.

Also, Minister Choo stated, "The message of the personnel appointments is to give hope and encouragement to the majority of prosecutors who work silently without any connections."

Is that really the case? Rather, many prosecutors may be experiencing internal conflicts, wondering, "Is it really appropriate to get promoted by acting like that?"

Wasn't the intention to drive out prosecutors who seek advancement by currying favor with the regime and conduct investigations to suit the regime's tastes?

Above all, Minister Choo's personnel appointments have undermined the purity of the 'prosecution reform' being pursued by the Moon Jae-in administration.

As long as power cannot resist the temptation to make the prosecution its ally, political neutrality of the prosecution remains a distant goal.