(From left) Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice; Shin Hyun-soo, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House; Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The Ministry of Justice on the 22nd conducted a minor reshuffle of mid-level prosecutors, involving only 18 personnel transfers, while retaining all investigation teams handling major cases such as the 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Economic Feasibility Manipulation' case. This move is analyzed as a repercussion of the resignation turmoil of Shin Hyun-soo, the Blue House Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, triggered by Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye's personnel appointments of senior prosecutors.
Minister Park recently expressed deep regret over Shin's resignation and, as he pledged to communicate with both Shin and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol ahead of this mid-level personnel reshuffle, the appointments reflect his intention to prevent further escalation of the situation and to reconcile conflicts with the two.
In particular, following the retention of Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, and Moon Hong-seong, Chief Prosecutor of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, the decision to retain Lee Sang-hyun, Head of the Criminal Division 5 at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 33), who is leading the investigation into the 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant' case, and Lee Jeong-seop, Head of the Criminal Division 3 at Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Class 32), who is leading the 'Kim Hak-eui Illegal Deportation' investigation team, is evaluated as an acceptance of Prosecutor General Yoon's request to "ensure continuity of investigations."
Furthermore, all Deputy Chief Prosecutors 2 to 4 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who were expected to be replaced by close aides of Lee Seong-yoon, have been retained. The only personnel change was the transfer of Na Byung-hoon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (Class 28), to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Kim Wook-joon, First Deputy Chief Prosecutor. This is interpreted as a strategic postponement of a full-scale reshuffle until Prosecutor General Yoon's retirement in July.
The retention of Byun Pil-geon, Head of Criminal Division 1, who opposed Chief Prosecutor Lee by approving a non-indictment decision for Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon related to the 'Channel A Coercion Attempt' case, and Choi Seong-pil, Second Deputy Chief Prosecutor, who also issued a non-indictment opinion on Prosecutor Han and had conflicts with Chief Prosecutor Lee, appears to be in response to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's request to avoid "pinpoint personnel changes."
Five Months Left in Prosecutor General Yoon's Term... Attention on Whether Investigations into 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant' and 'Kim Hak-eui Deportation' Will Yield Results
After much difficulty, the retention of the chief prosecutors and investigation team leaders at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, investigating the 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant' case, and Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, investigating the 'Kim Hak-eui Illegal Deportation' case, has created conditions for the ongoing investigations to proceed without disruption.
The Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, investigating the 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant' case, is reviewing the reissuance of an arrest warrant for former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu, whose previous warrant was dismissed, and is expected to accelerate investigations into possible involvement by higher-ups in the Blue House, including former Industrial Policy Secretary Chae Hee-bong (currently President of Korea Gas Corporation).
Meanwhile, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, which has already completed investigations of most witnesses and conducted summons interrogations of key suspects such as Cha Gyu-geun, Director of Immigration and Foreign Policy Headquarters, and Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won, is expected to consider summons interrogation of Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, who has yet to respond to summons, along with decisions on the detention of key suspects.
However, the ruling party strongly opposes the investigations into these two cases. The 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant' case is linked to former President Moon Jae-in's 'nuclear phase-out policy,' and the 'Kim Hak-eui Illegal Deportation' case was triggered by the President's message to "stake the fate of the prosecution and police organizations." Therefore, it is true that the prosecution faces pressure in intensifying the investigations.
In particular, Shin, who reversed his resignation and returned to the Blue House, may act as a mediator between the Blue House and the prosecution, communicating with Prosecutor General Yoon to adjust the scope and intensity of the investigations.
For Prosecutor General Yoon, who became a public enemy of the ruling party following the investigation into former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, it is crucial to achieve tangible results in investigations targeting these 'living powers' during his remaining term to prove his judgment was correct. However, various political and surrounding circumstances are not favorable to him.
Especially, the abnormal situation where key aides such as Lee Jong-geun, Head of the Criminal Division, and Shin Seong-sik, Head of the Anti-Corruption and Violence Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who report on major investigations nationwide and convey the Prosecutor General's intentions, cannot be fully trusted, makes it difficult for Prosecutor General Yoon to direct investigations as he wishes.
Moreover, the ongoing investigations related to Prosecutor General Yoon himself and his family associates, conducted by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office led by Chief Prosecutor Lee, who has been in opposition to him, and under the investigative directives of former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, also pose a burden.
(From left) Na Byung-hoon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, transferred as the First Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office effective the 26th; Lee Jin-soo, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office, transferred as the Second Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office; and Lim Eun-jung, Inspection Research Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, concurrently serving as a prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Legal News Legal Professionals Directory
Possibility of Renewed Conflict Between Minister and Prosecutor General Remains... The Role of Prosecutor Im Eun-jeong, Granted Investigative Authority, Also a Variable
By conducting a minor personnel reshuffle instead of the 'pinpoint personnel changes' feared by Prosecutor General Yoon in the mid-level prosecutor appointments, the Ministry of Justice appears to have superficially reconciled the deepened conflict between Minister Park and Prosecutor General Yoon following the senior prosecutor appointments.
However, given that Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, retained in the senior appointments, and Prosecutor Shim Jae-cheol, promoted to Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, are heads of key prosecutor offices who have continuously opposed Prosecutor General Yoon and were deeply involved in disciplinary requests against him, there remains a significant possibility that conflicts between them and Prosecutor General Yoon, as well as between Minister Park and Prosecutor General Yoon, will resurface over important investigations.
Prosecutor Im Eun-jeong, a research officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office who was concurrently appointed as a prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and granted investigative authority in this reshuffle, could also ignite tensions between Minister Park and Prosecutor General Yoon.
Minister Park is reported to have issued the concurrent appointment for Research Officer Im despite Prosecutor General Yoon's 'unacceptable' stance. Around the prosecution circles, this is seen as a measure to investigate allegations of 'subornation of perjury' related to the investigation team of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, whose statute of limitations expires next month.
If a research officer affiliated with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office undertakes investigations under the minister's concurrent appointment without the Prosecutor General's directive, it could rekindle conflicts between Prosecutor General Yoon and Han Dong-soo, Head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department, potentially implicating Minister Park as well.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
