Cheong, Responds to Choo Mi-ae Impeachment Petition with "Focus on State Affairs" Statement

"We will strive harder for the safety and lives of the people"

Cheong Wa Dae

The Blue House drew a line on the 11th regarding the public petition demanding the dismissal and impeachment of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, stating, "We will take note of the opinions on national governance."

Kang Jung-soo, head of the Blue House Digital Communication Center, responded to two related public petitions on the Blue House website on the same day, stating, "The government will strive even harder for the lives and safety of the people."

Earlier, on July 14 and July 23, petitions demanding the dismissal and impeachment of Minister Choo were posted on the Blue House website, criticizing quarantine measures against religious groups and personnel appointments in the prosecution.

The petitioners cited reasons for Minister Choo's dismissal and impeachment as ▲carrying out retaliatory personnel appointments ▲unfair exercise of investigative command authority ▲shifting quarantine responsibility to a specific religious group and the Prosecutor General. The two petitions received 240,000 and 210,000 endorsements respectively.

Center Director Kang first refuted the petitioners' claim that "the Minister of Justice carried out retaliatory personnel appointments." Kang explained, "Prosecutorial personnel appointments were made to support the execution of prosecutorial duties centered on human rights, public welfare, and the rule of law, following the enactment and revision of prosecutorial reform laws and organizational restructuring." He added, "The August 2020 appointments were conducted to reflect organizational changes such as the reduction of direct investigation departments and strengthening of criminal and trial departments due to investigative authority reforms."

Regarding the claim that Minister Choo unfairly exercised investigative command authority, he replied, "Article 8 of the Prosecutors' Office Act stipulates that 'The Minister of Justice is the highest supervisor of prosecutorial affairs and generally directs and supervises prosecutors, but only the Prosecutor General directs and supervises specific cases,' thereby defining the Minister of Justice's authority over prosecutorial affairs."

He added, "The Minister of Justice's supervisory authority is a minimal democratic check granted to ensure fairness in the exercise of prosecutorial power, guaranteeing the independence of prosecutorial investigations while holding the minister accountable to the National Assembly as the highest supervisor of prosecutorial affairs."

Center Director Kang also refuted the criticism that Minister Choo was shifting quarantine responsibility to a specific religious group. He stated, "In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions experienced a rapid spread with hundreds of new daily confirmed cases." He continued, "Although a significant number of infection routes were related to Shincheonji, due to noncompliance and lack of cooperation, accurate lists of believers essential for epidemiological investigations were not secured, hindering quarantine activities and severely threatening the lives and safety of the public."

He further explained, "To overcome this urgent situation, the Minister of Justice instructed the prosecution to cooperate closely with relevant agencies to swiftly and strongly investigate acts that hinder quarantine activities or disrupt the distribution of health supplies such as masks."

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae arrived at the Government Seoul Office on the afternoon of the 11th to attend the key issues meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and is on the move.

Meanwhile, the Blue House public petition titled "Impeachment of Minister Choo Mi-ae" surpassed 200,000 participants by the petition deadline on the afternoon of the 13th of last month, meeting the requirement for an official response.

The petitioner claimed in the post, "(Minister Choo) disregards the dignity of the president and the entire nation, acting as if she were a king," and "She is arrogant, defying the chief prosecutors and the Prosecutor General." The petitioner added, "No previous Minister of Justice has been like this," and "Therefore, I petition for impeachment on this occasion."