"Minister Chu's Abuse of Investigation Control is Worrisome"
"Collective Backlash from Prosecutors is Even Less Tolerable"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Professor Im Miri of Korea University, who gained attention for writing a column titled "Except for the Democratic Party" ahead of the April 15 general election, urged President Moon Jae-in on the 30th to "dismiss both Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl."
In a post on her Facebook page that day, Professor Im said, "Frontline prosecutors have collectively criticized Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae," adding, "While the abuse of investigative authority by Minister Chu is concerning, the collective backlash from the prosecutors is even less tolerable."
She explained, "This is because the prosecution, which already holds immense power, is trying to engage in politics against the government by leveraging public opinion."
She continued, "Although the head of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office resigned in protest against Minister Chu's arbitrary actions, Prosecutor General Yoon cannot resign," adding, "While it may be a personal act of submission, from the perspective of the public who are concerned about the Moon Jae-in administration's double standards and Minister Chu's autocracy, there is a strong hope that Prosecutor General Yoon will hold firm."
Regarding the standoff between Minister Chu and Prosecutor General Yoon, Professor Im described it as a "dilemma," emphasizing, "Even if we set aside Prosecutor General Yoon, it is neither possible nor acceptable for the majority of other prosecutors to resign en masse. This is not only disrespectful to the public but could also be considered intimidation."
She added, "Remaining without resigning is not an easy task either, as it means having to choose between being a puppet or a sycophant of power."
Professor Im stated, "The prosecution should neither be swayed by political power nor make organizational protection its ultimate goal," criticizing, "Currently, the Ministry of Justice, which carries the banner of prosecutorial reform, is trying to tame the prosecution, while the prosecution, determined not to be shaken by power, is engaging in politics to protect the organization by leveraging public support."
She further said, "At this point, President Moon is not just being complacent but neglecting his duties," adding, "While it might be most advantageous for the administration if Prosecutor General Yoon voluntarily resigns under Minister Chu's pressure, that ship has already sailed. The answer is for the president to directly dismiss Prosecutor General Yoon, along with Minister Chu."
Earlier, on the 28th, Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 1 criticized the prosecutorial reform pushed by Minister Chu on the internal prosecution network 'Eprose.' Prosecutor Lee said, "It has fundamentally failed," adding, "There is a will of power to endlessly praise those who please them and to suppress by any means those who do not."
Following the post, on the next day, the 29th, Minister Chu and former Justice Minister Cho Kuk publicly criticized Prosecutor Lee. Minister Chu attached a link to a negative article about Prosecutor Lee on her Facebook page and said, "Good. If you come out like this, reform is the only answer."
Former Minister Cho also shared a post titled "Who is Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo of Jeju District Prosecutors' Office who openly criticized Minister Chu Mi-ae?" on the same day.
Subsequently, similar "coming out" posts continued on Eprose. That afternoon, Prosecutor Choi Jae-man of Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office posted, "I also think that the situation where politics covers up the prosecution clearly leaves a bad precedent in our judicial history, so I will also come out," and as support for this post followed, the number of coming out comments surpassed 200 by the afternoon of the 30th.
Meanwhile, prior to the 21st general election, in January, Professor Im contributed a column to the Kyunghyang Shinmun titled "Let's create a party that considers the people's eyes even after the election," proposing, "So I suggest voting 'except for the Democratic Party,'" for which she was reported for violating the Public Official Election Act but later received a suspended indictment.
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