Former Minister Cho's remarks at the 'Prosecutor Reform Talk Concert' in December 2011 [Image source = YouTube video capture from 'Sisa Channel Red Ajae']
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who publicly targeted a prosecutor who criticized her by saying, "If you come out like this, reform is the only answer," has recently faced backlash from prosecutors saying, "I will come out too." In this context, remarks made by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk about the necessity of prosecutorial reform nine years ago are being reexamined.
Earlier, on the 28th, Lee Hwan-woo (43, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 39), belonging to the Criminal Division 1 of Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, posted on the internal prosecution network a message stating "Prosecutorial reform has failed," criticizing the current government and Minister Choo.
In response, former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk shared an article about Prosecutor Lee, who publicly criticized Minister Choo Mi-ae, highlighting that Lee had detained suspects and blocked visits to prevent exposure of weaknesses among fellow prosecutors, asking, "Who is Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo who openly criticized Minister Choo Mi-ae?" Minister Choo responded, "Good. If you come out like this, reform is the only answer."
Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae listens to the remarks of National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok at the appointment ceremony of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency chief candidate recommendation committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
This sparked criticism within the prosecution, with voices saying, "The former and current ministers openly 'marked' the prosecutor who posted the critical message."
In response, recently, prosecutors have come forward by revealing their names and protesting against Minister Choo. On the 29th, Prosecutor Choi Jae-man (47, class 36), belonging to the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office trial prosecutor's office and known as the son-in-law of former Minister of Justice Cheon Jeong-bae, also posted a message criticizing Minister Choo, saying, "I will come out too."
Prosecutor Choi said, "Like Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo, I do not know whether the current regime is a benevolent power or an unjust power. However, I clearly think it is wrong for political power to cover up the prosecution like this," adding, "I will come out too."
With nearly 200 comments from prosecutors expressing support and encouragement on Prosecutor Choi's post, the 'anti-Choo Mi-ae' atmosphere within the prosecution is spreading, and the remarks made by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk nine years ago are being reexamined.
In December 2011, then Seoul National University professor Cho Kuk emphasized at a "Prosecutorial Reform Talk Concert" that "Prosecutorial reform is one of the important tasks regardless of which administration comes into power," and stressed, "The administration should not use the prosecution for its own purposes, reform should be done early in the administration, and progressive and reform-minded people should enter the Ministry of Justice in large numbers to lead the reform."
He further noted that there will inevitably be opposition to such reforms, saying, "Those who want to leave should be sent off quickly," and added, "If they collectively disobey and submit resignations, all should be accepted, and by hiring a large number of law school graduates, a new prosecution can be created."
Meanwhile, on the 31st, Hwang Hee-seok, a Supreme Member of the Open Democratic Party who served as Director of the Human Rights Bureau at the Ministry of Justice under former Minister Cho Kuk, shared Cho's remarks on his SNS, sarcastically saying, "100 or 200 is fine. Anyway, once you enter the main stream of prosecutorial reform, you don't need that many prosecutors," and added, "Being a lawyer is not like before, so keep that in mind."
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