Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is questioning at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office audit held on the 22nd of last month at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] On the 1st, Kim Namguk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "Blinded by his ambition for the presidency, he is ruining the prosecution organization and the Republic of Korea."
In a post on his Facebook on the same day, Rep. Kim pointed out, "The Prosecutor General, who should have accomplished the historic task of prosecutorial reform, has instead become the biggest obstacle to prosecutorial reform."
He continued, "Since the beginning of his term, he has continuously conducted unprecedented political investigations and invasive human rights violations, neglecting the prosecutorial reform tasks and the prosecution organization promised to the people."
Rep. Kim stated, "From the beginning to the recent controversies, his actions are thoroughly evaluated as driven by personal gain and political ambition for the presidency," adding, "There is no other explanation for his behavior."
He also added, "It is difficult to expect Prosecutor General Yoon, blinded by his presidential ambitions, to prioritize the prosecution organization and the people of the Republic of Korea," and "I hope the court and the disciplinary committee's proper decisions will open Yoon's eyes."
Meanwhile, according to the legal community, the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 4 (Chief Judge Jo Mi-yeon) held a hearing on the 1st regarding the suspension of the effect of the job exclusion applied for by Prosecutor General Yoon, and will continue the hearing on the following day.
If the court accepts the application, the job exclusion order against Prosecutor General Yoon will be temporarily suspended, allowing him to return to duty; if rejected or dismissed, the job exclusion status will be maintained.
However, even if the court accepts Yoon's application for suspension of job exclusion on this day, if the disciplinary committee convened on the 2nd passes a severe disciplinary action such as dismissal or removal, Yoon could lose his position again within a day.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice Inspection Committee (Inspection Committee) issued a recommendation on the same day stating that the disciplinary request, job exclusion measure, and investigation referral against Prosecutor General Yoon were all inappropriate.
The Inspection Committee held an emergency temporary meeting at the Ministry of Justice Gwacheon Government Complex in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, and discussed from 10 a.m. for about 3 hours and 15 minutes whether the disciplinary request by Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and the job exclusion order against Prosecutor General Yoon were appropriate.
The Inspection Committee stated the reason for the resolution as, "Due to serious procedural flaws such as failure to notify the subject of the reasons for the disciplinary request and failure to provide an opportunity to explain, the disciplinary request, job exclusion, and investigation referral measures are inappropriate." It was reported that the conclusion was unanimous among the seven members present out of a total of eleven inspection committee members.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
