[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] On the 4th, the People Power Party criticized the Ministry of Justice's personnel reshuffle of senior prosecutors, calling the promotion of Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office "destruction of the rule of law" and "illegal acts."
Yoon Hee-seok, spokesperson for the People Power Party, released a statement on the 5th saying, "'Park Beom-gye's style of prosecutorial personnel reshuffle' clearly showed how little the Moon Jae-in administration respects the people," adding, "They massively demoted the top officials who resisted the regime's ruthless control over the prosecution and held a promotion party without exception for the regime's lackeys. The promotion of 'bulletproof prosecutor' Lee, now a defendant, to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office is the finishing touch of this personnel reshuffle."
The day before, Lee Jeong-soo, Director of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor's Office, was appointed as the new Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Lee Seong-yoon was promoted to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office. Currently, Lee is a defendant indicted on charges of exerting undue influence in the investigation of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui's illegal travel ban case.
Spokesperson Yoon criticized, "Despite this, the Minister of Justice shamelessly deceives the public by calling it a 'personnel reshuffle well balanced between reform and stability,'" adding, "After all, isn't this the regime that appointed a 'drunken violence' offender as Deputy Minister of Justice and deceived the public for half a year?" He continued, "It has become a world where even if you commit crimes, if you are loyal to the regime, you can become Chief Prosecutor of a High Prosecutors' Office or Deputy Minister of Justice," emphasizing, "Come to think of it, the Minister of Justice is also a criminal defendant."
Finally, he criticized, "The Moon administration has completely lost the right to speak about fairness and justice," and warned, "The day to judge the destruction of the rule of law is not far away."
The day before, Jeon Ju-hye, the floor spokesperson, also pointed out in a statement, "The Moon administration's ambition to control the prosecution has no end." She said, "They finally carried out a prosecutorial personnel reshuffle that completely blocks investigations into the current administration," adding, "They promoted Lee, a defendant who was openly obstructing investigations into the current administration and was even indicted by his juniors, to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office."
She then addressed the government, saying, "The Moon administration's illegal acts that disturbed the national law of the Republic of Korea will face popular resistance," and spoke directly to the prosecution, "I hope the prosecution becomes the people's prosecution, not the Moon administration's prosecution."
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