Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is arriving at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae indicated that she will not back down, saying, "The uncomfortable truth must continue until we face it without turning away," as backlash spread within the prosecution over her 'public targeting' of Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office.
On the 31st, Minister Choo shared a post on her Facebook page originally posted by Kim Yong-min, a former member of the podcast "I Am a Fool," saying, "I didn't realize it was this serious," and added, "The uncomfortable truth must continue."
The post Minister Choo shared was a direct quote from an article by reporter Kang from Kyunghyang Shinmun, which supported prosecutorial reform. The article endorsed the current administration's prosecutorial reform and criticized the recent backlash from frontline prosecutors as "the true faces of prosecutors resisting reform."
Reporter Kang said, "Many journalists from various media outlets are helping the lonely Prosecutor Lee. The question is whether it is appropriate for the Minister to attack him by digging up his past simply because a rank-and-file prosecutor spoke frankly," adding, "Starting with Prosecutor Choi from Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office, who is the son-in-law of former Minister Cheon Jeong-bae, they have been broadcasting the complaints of prosecutors opposing Minister Choo without any criticism."
Earlier, Minister Choo publicly targeted Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo (43, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 39) of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 1, who posted a critical message about her on the prosecution's internal network, saying, "If you come out like this, reform is the only answer." Former Minister Cho Kuk also joined in by sharing the article with the comment, "Who is Prosecutor Lee Hwan-woo of Jeju District Prosecutors' Office who publicly criticized Minister Choo Mi-ae?"
When Minister Choo publicly pressured a rank-and-file prosecutor, about 200 prosecutors responded on the prosecution's internal network, I-PROS, with statements such as "I also come out," and "Is gagging prosecutors the way to reform the prosecution?" expressing their opposition.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
