Reorganization Leads to 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor Overseeing Special Investigations
3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor Assigned to Lead 'Election Interference' Case Investigation
From the left, Hyeong Jin-hwi, Prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Oh Hyun-chul, Head of Investigation Division 1 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Kim Hyung-geun, Head of Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Beopryul Sinmun
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Following the Ministry of Justice's plan to reorganize the prosecution system, the focus of investigations at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which handles major cases attracting public attention, has shifted from the department under the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor to that under the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor.
Interest is also growing in the individual who will be appointed as the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor in the upcoming prosecution personnel reshuffle.
According to the legal community on the 13th, the Ministry of Justice is currently consulting with related government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to finalize the prosecution system reorganization ahead of personnel appointments for mid-level prosecutors at the chief and deputy chief prosecutor levels.
According to the reorganization plan, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Divisions 1 and 2, which handle preliminary investigations of high-profile figures such as politicians, the Economic Crime Criminal Division investigating conglomerate heads, and the Fair Trade Investigation Division handling corporate violations of the Fair Trade Act will be moved from under the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor to under the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Conversely, the Investigation Divisions 1 and 2, which previously handled important complaint cases under the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division, which investigated sex crimes, will be transferred to the 2nd Deputy Chief Prosecutor's jurisdiction.
Regarding the case involving Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and others related to the Samsung C&T-Cheil Industries merger, currently under investigation by the Economic Crime Criminal Division, if no conclusion is reached before the mid-level personnel appointments, the newly appointed 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor will discuss with Prosecutor General Lee Sung-yoon to decide on the final judicial disposition.
The Fair Trade Investigation Division is currently conducting an investigation into the 'KT Public Line Bidding Collusion' case.
While there is a possibility that Kim Wook-jun, the current 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor appointed in the January personnel reshuffle, may be retained, given that Lee Jung-hyun, former 1st Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and Shin Sung-sik, former 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor, who were appointed as deputy chief prosecutors at the Central District Prosecutors' Office at the same time, have been promoted to head of the Public Investigation Division and head of the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crimes Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office respectively, it is highly likely that Kim will also be reassigned in this reshuffle.
Considering the change that will place the leadership of investigations into major cases of national significance under the new 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor, it is expected that a figure with strong trust from the current administration or Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae will be appointed.
Reflecting on the precedent from the January reshuffle, where Shin Sung-sik, a senior by two classes from the Judicial Research and Training Institute, was appointed as the successor to Song Kyung-ho, then 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor from the 29th class, the possibility of a disruptive appointment cannot be ruled out, but currently, the 29th class is most likely to be appointed as the 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor.
Within the prosecution, among the 29th class, Prosecutor Hyeong Jin-hwi of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office (48), Oh Hyun-chul, head of Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (52), and Kim Hyung-geun, head of Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (51) are considered strong candidates for the next 4th Deputy Chief Prosecutor.
Prosecutor Hyeong, originally from Jeonju, Jeonbuk, graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Business Administration and has been seconded to the Anti-Corruption Prevention Monitoring Team at the Office for Government Policy Coordination since August last year under the current administration. He has served as a researcher at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and as head of the Special Investigation Division at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office.
Prosecutor Oh, from Muan, Jeonnam, is an alumnus of Kyung Hee University Law School alongside President Moon Jae-in. He has served as head of the Criminal Division 4 at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office and head of the Financial Investigation Division 1 at Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.
Prosecutor Kim, from Seoul and a graduate of Korea University Law School, is known to have strong trust from Prosecutor General Lee Sung-yoon. He has served as head of the Special Investigation Division at Busan and Incheon District Prosecutors' Offices and as director of the Investigation Command Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
Meanwhile, with the reorganization moving public investigation divisions previously under the 2nd Deputy Chief Prosecutor to under the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor, it is expected that a prosecutor with experience in public security investigations will be appointed as the new 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor.
The 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor will lead the investigation into the allegations of election interference and directed investigations involving the Ulsan mayoral election at the Blue House, currently being investigated by Public Investigation Division 2.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
