Prosecutor Personnel Committee Concludes, Personnel Announcement Scheduled for Late This Month... New Appointments of 31st Deputy Prosecutors and 36th Deputy Chiefs

Building 1 of the Government Complex Gwacheon, where the Ministry of Justice is located, held the Prosecutors' Personnel Committee meeting on the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Following personnel changes for senior prosecutors at the level of chief prosecutors and above, mid-level prosecutor personnel changes, including deputy chief prosecutors and senior prosecutors, will be implemented at the end of this month. In this personnel reshuffle, the 31st Judicial Research and Training Institute (JRTI) class will be promoted to deputy chief prosecutor for the first time, and the first promotion of a couple to senior prosecutor from the 36th class is expected.

The Ministry of Justice announced on the 23rd that it held a Prosecutor Personnel Committee meeting for about two hours starting at 2 p.m. to discuss the principles and criteria for mid-level personnel changes.

After the meeting, committee members avoided giving direct answers to questions about the specific contents of the discussion.

Chairperson Jeon Ji-yeon said, "There was a lot to discuss," and briefly responded, "Details will be announced later," before getting into a car.

Committee member and attorney Jeong Yeon-bok said, "We discussed the usual personnel standards and principles," adding, "Since it has been about a year, which is the typical period for holding a senior prosecutor position, many personnel changes are expected."

After the meeting, the Prosecutor Personnel Committee stated through a Ministry of Justice notice, "This personnel reshuffle for prosecutors at the level of high prosecutors is the first large-scale personnel change following the appointment of the new Prosecutor General and the personnel changes at the level of senior prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

It continued, "We plan to sequentially fill vacancies caused by new appointments and resignations at the senior prosecutor level, reflect the reorganization of the prosecution system such as the establishment of the Human Rights Protection Division and the Investigation Cooperation Division, and conduct a full-scale personnel reshuffle for the first time in 10 months since last September."

The Prosecutor Personnel Committee also stated regarding the deliberated matters, "Outstanding talents from the 31st JRTI class will be newly appointed as deputy chief prosecutors, a certain number of senior prosecutors from the 35th class will be newly appointed as chief prosecutors, and considering the need to replenish frontline senior prosecutors and boost morale, members of the 36th class will also be newly appointed as senior prosecutors."

It added, "We will maintain the existing personnel policy, which prioritizes continuing prosecution reform tasks amid organizational stability, favors prosecutors who have dedicated themselves to human rights protection and work directly related to the public such as criminal and trial matters."

Regarding the timing of the personnel announcement, the Prosecutor Personnel Committee said it will be announced around late June, with appointments taking effect in early July.

Ahead of this personnel reshuffle, the Ministry of Justice issued a legislative notice for partial amendments to the Presidential Decree on the Organization of the Prosecutor's Office.

The reorganization plan includes new restrictions allowing only certain departments, such as the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office or the "Malbu" (final) criminal divisions of local prosecutors' offices, to investigate corruption crimes, public official crimes, election crimes, and other cases among the six major crimes that the prosecution can directly investigate after the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution, excluding reported economic crimes. These investigations require the approval of the Prosecutor General.

Since the personnel changes immediately after Minister Park's inauguration in February were minor and exceptions to mandatory posting periods were applied due to the reorganization, this personnel reshuffle is expected to be the largest ever.

Particularly, attention is focused on whether deputy chief prosecutors or senior prosecutors at prosecutors' offices involved in regime-related investigations, such as Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office and Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, will be retained or demoted, and who will be appointed as heads of the Malbu criminal divisions responsible for direct investigations under the reorganization.