Cheong, Successor Prosecutor General Appointment "Legal Procedures Will Take Long"

Time Needed from Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee Formation to Recommendation... Speculation Ranges from Former and Current Prosecutors to Unexpected Figures

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Blue House conveyed that the legal procedures for appointing the next Prosecutor General may take a long time. This means that President Moon Jae-in is not in an environment to immediately appoint a successor to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.

A senior Blue House official stated on the 5th, "There are quite lengthy legal procedures. We will follow the procedures." Unlike other high-ranking officials who serve a two-year term, the Prosecutor General undergoes a candidate recommendation committee process. This procedure differs from the president's political judgment to appoint someone deemed suitable.

Once the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee is formed and recommends multiple candidates, the Minister of Justice must respect their recommendations and propose a candidate, after which the president appoints the Prosecutor General. Considering the formation of the recommendation committee and the review process for the successor, a considerable amount of time is inevitably required.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, President Moon accepted the resignation of former Prosecutor General Yoon, who announced his intention to resign at 2 p.m. on the 4th, just 75 minutes later at 3:15 p.m. through Jeong Man-ho, the Senior Secretary for Public Communication.

There was speculation that President Moon would speed up the appointment of the successor after quickly resolving the issue of the Prosecutor General's position. However, the Blue House emphasized following the procedural appointment process rather than rushing the usual Prosecutor General appointment process.

The prosecution is expected to operate under the acting leadership of Deputy Prosecutor General Cho Nam-gwan for the time being. If the successor Prosecutor General prioritizes organizational stability, there is a possibility that Deputy Cho will be promoted. Considering the Moon Jae-in administration's governance philosophy, there may be support for appointing Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

There is also a possibility that retired prosecutors such as former Deputy Prosecutor General Bong Wook and former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Oh-soo could be reappointed. A variable is that the Blue House replaced former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Shin Hyun-soo, a prosecutor, and appointed Kim Jin-guk, a former vice president of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), as his successor.

This means that just over two months after appointing a prosecutor as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, the Blue House has again favored a non-prosecutor. It cannot be ruled out that an unexpected figure may be appointed as the next Prosecutor General as well.