'Yoon Seok-yeol Criticism' Ruling Party Lawmakers Face 'Internal Strife' Over 'Moon's Remarks' [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Moon: "Yoon Seok-yeol is the Prosecutor General under Moon's administration... I believe there is no political motive"

President Moon Jae-in is answering a reporter's question at the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chunuchu-gwan on the 18th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] On the 18th, President Moon Jae-in referred to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl as "the Prosecutor General of the Moon Jae-in administration" and expressed his apology for the prolonged conflict last year between former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon. In particular, regarding Prosecutor General Yoon's rise as a presidential candidate from the opposition party, he clearly drew a line by saying, "I do not think he is performing the role of Prosecutor General while thinking about engaging in politics."

As the president directly expressed his position on the political actions surrounding Prosecutor General Yoon, ruling party lawmakers who have been daily criticizing Yoon as "politician Yoon Seok-youl," "clear political acts," and "political investigations," engaging in so-called 'Yoon Seok-youl bashing,' are now facing views that President Moon's remarks may cause 'internal strife' (自中之亂 - turmoil or chaos among allies).

Also, since the president clearly drew a line, there are opinions that criticism of Prosecutor General Yoon might decrease. On the other hand, some interpret that if Yoon engages in political acts or actions aimed at running for the presidential election, the ruling party and the Blue House (the Democratic Party of Korea and the presidential office) will intervene, as the president stated that "he does not seem to be engaging in politics." This is seen as a preemptive measure so that if Yoon enters politics, the criticism will be solely borne by him.

On the 18th at 10 a.m., President Moon held a New Year's press conference at the Blue House Chunghwagan, conducted via online and offline video connection, and said, "The relationship should be one of cooperation to address the historic task of prosecutorial reform, but conflicts seem to have been highlighted in the process, and I sincerely apologize to the people. From now on, I hope the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution will cooperate to successfully complete and further develop the major task of prosecutorial reform."

President Moon added, "There are various evaluations of Prosecutor General Yoon, but to put my evaluation in one word, he is 'the Prosecutor General of the Moon Jae-in administration.' I do not think Prosecutor General Yoon is performing his role while thinking about engaging in politics."

President Moon Jae-in is moving together to the reception room with Yoon Seok-yeol, the newly appointed Prosecutor General, after presenting the appointment letter at the Blue House on the morning of July 25, 2019. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Until now, Democratic Party lawmakers have effectively urged Prosecutor General Yoon to resign. On December 18 last year, the Democratic Party lawmakers' group 'People's Solidarity for Economic Democracy and Peaceful Unification' (Minpyeongryeon) officially demanded Yoon's voluntary resignation. This was the first time the ruling party faction officially called for Yoon's resignation.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Hall that morning, 'Minpyeongryeon' said, "Prosecutor General Yoon should step down from his role as a gatekeeper blocking prosecutorial reform and immediately resign."

They also stated, "During the process of prosecutorial reform, Prosecutor General Yoon forgot his duties as the head of prosecution, resisted reform, and abused power. Accordingly, an unprecedented disciplinary action against a Prosecutor General was passed through proper procedures and even approved by the appointing authority, the president." They argued that the disciplinary action against Yoon was lawful.

Minpyeongryeon further said, "The image of some prosecution organizations resisting prosecutorial reform by relying on the opposition party and the media over the personal position of the Prosecutor General, and disobeying the appointing authority, the president, is an irrational backlash rarely seen in the history of previous Prosecutor Generals." They urged Yoon, "Instead of clinging to the position of Prosecutor General, we call for his immediate resignation."

Meanwhile, earlier on July 3 last year, Democratic Party lawmaker Seol Hoon also urged Prosecutor General Yoon to make a decision. Additionally, Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha criticized Yoon as a 'prosecution-first advocate.'

Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, belittled the nationwide prosecutors' meeting convened by Yoon that day as a 'gathering of henchmen.'

On the same day, Seol appeared on YTN Radio's 'No Young-hee's Start Morning' and said, "If Yoon continues to resist like this, it will be no help to himself or the prosecution. I think he should make a decision."

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General [Photo by Yonhap News]

Also, Hwang Un-ha, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former police officer who was indicted on allegations of Blue House-directed investigations, emphasized the need for prosecutorial reform on his Facebook on July 2 last year, saying, "Among advanced countries, there is no country as noisy all year round because of the prosecution as ours." He added, "If you look closely, the root of all problems is the prosecution's direct investigative authority." He expressed concern that "the prosecutorial reform, which was the first task of the Candlelight Revolution, still has a long way to go, and if things continue as they are, there is a high risk of failure."

Also, Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, claimed that the nationwide prosecutors' meeting related to the 'prosecution-media collusion' allegations convened by Yoon might be a gathering of some henchmen to criticize Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae.

However, with President Moon's remarks that "Prosecutor General Yoon does not engage in political acts," there is a view that the 'Yoon Seok-youl bashing' will subside for the time being, especially within the ruling party.

A Democratic Party supporter in their 40s said, "Since the president himself said he believes Prosecutor General Yoon is not engaging in political acts, I think criticism of Yoon in the political arena will decrease to some extent."

There is also a perspective that President Moon's remarks are political statements considering the possibility of Prosecutor General Yoon officially starting political activities such as running for president. If Yoon, trusted by the president and the ruling party, engages in political acts, he could fall into the category of a politician who was formerly a Prosecutor General driven by political ambition.

Meanwhile, regarding the conflict between Prosecutor General Yoon and Minister Choo over prosecutorial reform, President Moon said, "Prosecutorial reform involves changing the long-standing relationship between the prosecution and the police, as well as the prosecution's investigative customs and culture. Because of this, there could have been differences in perspectives between the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General. Now that they understand each other's positions better, I expect there will be no more conflicts that worry the public."