Kim Do-eup, the secretary of the People Power Party, is making a procedural statement at the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly on February 18. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Kim Do-eup, a member of the People Power Party, strongly criticized President Moon Jae-in's nomination of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Oh-soo as the next Prosecutor General, calling it "a forced 'code appointment' even for the Prosecutor General, whose life depends on 'political neutrality and independence.'"
On the 3rd, Kim posted on his Facebook, stating, "As of today, I have come to understand what President Moon Jae-in's state philosophy is."
He explained, "Who is the nominee for Prosecutor General, Kim Oh-soo? He is a person who lost trust within the prosecution by standing in opposition to the prosecution while assisting former Ministers of Justice Park Sang-ki, Cho Kuk, and Choo Mi-ae during his time as Deputy Minister of Justice. While serving as Deputy Minister, he, along with Lee Sung-yoon, then head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (and then Director of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecution Bureau), proposed the 'Cho Kuk investigation team' excluding Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, which sparked strong backlash from the prosecution."
He continued, "He has been consistently mentioned as a candidate for various key positions such as Prosecutor General, Fair Trade Commission Chairman, Financial Supervisory Service Governor, and Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairman under the current administration, making him a true 'pro-administration code appointment.' Notably, he was twice recommended by the Blue House as an Audit Committee member of the Board of Audit and Inspection, but Chairman Choi Jae-hyung rejected the appointment citing concerns over 'political neutrality.'"
He added, "The nomination process of former Deputy Minister Kim Oh-soo as Prosecutor General was a 'well-scripted scenario' itself. Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye stirred expectations by stating that the criteria for the next Prosecutor General appointment would be 'highly correlated with the President's state philosophy.'"
He also noted, "The Prosecutor General Appointment Recommendation Committee, chaired by former Minister of Justice Park Sang-ki, recommended four candidates including former Deputy Minister Kim Oh-soo on the 29th. It is said that Kim Oh-soo received the lowest number of votes among the four."
Kim further questioned, "Democratic Party member Song Young-gil, who is two years senior to Kim Oh-soo in high school, was elected party leader, and the very next day, Kim Oh-soo was nominated as the new Prosecutor General. Is this really a coincidence?"
He sharply criticized, "As of today, I have come to understand what President Moon Jae-in's state philosophy is. It was regime protection through 'code appointments.'"
He urged, "Now, only one year remains in the Moon Jae-in administration. The appointment of the last Prosecutor General, which will greatly influence various regime-related investigations and the management of the next presidential election, must prioritize law and principles, political neutrality, and independence."
Kim concluded by reiterating, "However, candidate Kim Oh-soo is far from these standards. Therefore, the nomination of Kim Oh-soo as Prosecutor General must be withdrawn."
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