Choo Mi-ae's Final Farewell... Where Will the Key Investigation Teams Go?

Announcement of Prosecutor Personnel on the 21st... Senior and Mid-Level Executives Likely to Be Managed by Candidate Park Beom-gye

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The final personnel reshuffle by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is set to take place. The Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Personnel Committee has decided to carry out the appointment of ordinary prosecutors effective February 1 on the 21st. While high-ranking personnel appointments have traditionally been made before those of ordinary prosecutors, this year, due to variables such as the ministerial change, they will be made after the inauguration of Park Beom-gye, the nominee for Minister of Justice.

This reshuffle excludes not only senior executives but also mid-level executives such as deputy chief prosecutors, chief prosecutors, and deputy chief prosecutors. Targeting only ordinary prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice plans to apply the preferential policy for the Criminal Division and Trial Division, maintained since Minister Choo's inauguration, by selecting prosecutors who have diligently performed their basic duties for key departments.

The focus is on whether the investigation teams for major cases, including the 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 Economic Feasibility Evaluation Manipulation' allegation, as well as the Optimus and Lime cases, will be replaced. Although leadership personnel appointments have been postponed until after the ordinary prosecutor appointments, even personnel changes within investigation teams can provide clues about the future direction of investigations.

Since this is the last personnel decision approved by departing Minister Choo, there is also interest in how ordinary prosecutors who previously expressed opinions requesting reconsideration of disciplinary charges and suspension of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl will be treated. The Ministry of Justice's official stance is to respect the personnel opinions of frontline agency heads and actively reflect the personnel wishes of excellent prosecutors recommended by agency heads. However, considering the ongoing conflicts with Prosecutor General Yoon, there is a possibility that Minister Choo's intentions will be broadly reflected in the ordinary prosecutor appointments as well.

The issue lies with the high-ranking personnel appointments expected to be directly overseen by nominee Park. The legal community anticipates that personnel plans will be discussed after Park's parliamentary confirmation hearing concludes next Monday. Regarding prosecutor personnel, Park stated, "The appointing authority for prosecutors is the President, and the Minister of Justice is the recommender who is supposed to consult with the Prosecutor General. I am still just a nominee preparing for and awaiting the confirmation hearing," refraining from giving a specific stance.

However, considering the mention of 'consultation with the Prosecutor General,' some predict that the conflict level with Minister Choo will not escalate. Within the prosecution, it is also expected that nominee Park will avoid creating conflict elements, especially since this is the first personnel reshuffle after assuming office. Nonetheless, the remaining high-ranking personnel appointments are a variable as they represent Prosecutor General Yoon's final regular reshuffle. Since Yoon's term ends in July this year, it is more likely that appointments will reflect the intentions of nominee Park rather than the departing Prosecutor General Yoon.