[Law & Story] Diverging Fates of Ministry of Justice and Prosecution Spokespersons

Government Gwacheon Government Complex Building 1, Ministry of Justice (left) and Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Photo by Choi Seok-jin

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] In "Choi Seok-jin's Legal Stories," I plan to cover various issues revolving around the judiciary and prosecution. I will write somewhat freely on topics such as the legal points or prospects of major cases, behind-the-scenes stories, and untold anecdotes without being bound by specific themes or formats. Today’s first story is about the personnel appointments of spokespersons, known as the ‘mouthpieces’ of the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General.

Simultaneous Replacement of Ministry of Justice and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Spokespersons and Deputy Spokespersons... Mixed Fortunes

In the recent mid-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle, spokespersons for both the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution were included in the personnel changes.

Park Cheol-woo, former Ministry of Justice spokesperson (Judicial Research and Training Institute class of 30), who served as the ‘mouth’ for Minister Park Beom-gye following former Minister Choo Mi-ae, has moved to the position of Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. This is a promotion.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the largest prosecution office in the country, is a desired workplace for all prosecutors. According to the newly revised "Regulations on the Organization of Prosecutors’ Offices," the 2nd Deputy Chief Prosecutor now commands not only the previously supervised departments such as the Financial and Corporate Crime Division (Criminal Division 7), Construction and Real Estate Crime Division (Criminal Division 8), and Women and Child Crime Investigation Division, but also the Intellectual Property and Cultural Crime Division (Criminal Division 6), which was originally under the 1st Deputy Chief Prosecutor.

Following former spokesperson Koo Ja-hyun (class of 29), who served early in former Minister Choo’s term and was promoted to 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in last September’s reshuffle, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson position has again been promoted to a deputy chief prosecutor role at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Koo was further promoted last month to Director of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, responsible for personnel and budget, marking another advancement.

On the other hand, Lee Chang-soo, spokesperson of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (class of 30), who served as the ‘mouth’ for former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, was assigned as the 2nd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office. While it is difficult to call this a demotion since he was assigned as a deputy chief prosecutor at a frontline district office, compared to past Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokespersons, it is clearly not a satisfactory appointment.

Similarly, former spokesperson Kwon Soon-jung (class of 29), who also assisted former Prosecutor General Yoon, was transferred to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office after finishing her spokesperson role last year, and this time the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson position was not assigned to key posts such as the Ministry of Justice or Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

Historically, Ministry of Justice or Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokespersons often moved to preferred positions favored by most prosecutors in the next personnel reshuffle. This is partly because the minister or prosecutor general usually selects trusted individuals when appointing spokespersons, and also as a reward for their hard work over a year or more.

Looking at the number of prosecutors who became chief prosecutors after serving as spokespersons at the Ministry of Justice or Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, it is evident that the position generally guarantees some degree of promotion.

Among former Ministry of Justice spokespersons are Kim Joo-hyun, former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (class of 18), Kim Kang-wook, former Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office (class of 19), Cha Kyung-hwan, former Chief Prosecutor of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 22), Cho Sang-chul, former Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (class of 23), and Moon Hong-sung (class of 26), who was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in this reshuffle after serving as Chief Prosecutor of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office. Shim Jae-chul (class of 27), who served as Director of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice and currently heads the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, is also a former Ministry of Justice spokesperson.

Among former Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokespersons are Cho Eun-seok, currently an Audit Commissioner at the Board of Audit and Inspection and former Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (class of 19), Han Chan-sik, former Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 21), Koo Bon-seon, former Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Office and former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (class of 23), Kim Hu-gon, Chief Prosecutor of Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 25), and Joo Young-hwan, Director of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Justice (class of 27).

There are also executives who served as deputy spokespersons at the Ministry of Justice or Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, such as Yang Jung-jin, 1st Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 29), and Kim Hyung-rok, Head of Investigation Command and Support Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (class of 31).

In this reshuffle, former Deputy Spokesperson Shin Seung-hee (class of 35) from the Ministry of Justice and former Deputy Spokesperson Kim Eun-jung (class of 39) from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office were also replaced.

Shin was assigned as Chief Prosecutor of Namwon Branch of Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office, and Kim was transferred to a research officer position in the Trial and Prosecution Department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

Usually, spokespersons and deputy spokespersons are not replaced simultaneously; they are often rotated alternately. This is because the spokesperson or deputy spokesperson who started working earlier in the spokesperson office can help the newly appointed person adapt to the job. However, this time, both the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office replaced their spokespersons and deputy spokespersons simultaneously.

From the perspective of reporters, both individuals worked very hard and endured a difficult period while handling public relations roles, so personally, it feels somewhat regrettable.

Of course, both former Ministry of Justice spokesperson Park and former Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson Lee also endured hardships during the tense standoff between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution. It is estimated that Park received over 100 protest calls on November 24 last year, when former Minister Choo Mi-ae suddenly held an emergency briefing near the end of the workday to announce disciplinary action and suspension of former Prosecutor General Yoon. Similarly, Lee likely received over 100 protest calls on March 2, two days before Yoon’s resignation, when a solo interview article with Yoon was published in the Kukmin Ilbo newspaper.

Contrasting Fates of Spokespersons and Public Relations Officers

Meanwhile, in this reshuffle, Park Se-hyun, the professional public relations officer (Public Relations Officer, class of 29) who single-handedly handled public relations at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the largest prosecution office in the country, was also replaced.

Until a few years ago, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office had three or four deputy chief prosecutors each responsible for public relations related to investigations in their respective departments. Given the many important cases handled by this office, it was physically difficult for one person to manage public relations for all cases.

In fact, when three deputy chief prosecutors handled public relations, there was a precedent where the Chief Prosecutor of the General Affairs Department was assigned as a deputy spokesperson to assist the three deputy chief prosecutors and reduce their workload.

However, entrusting the public relations work of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to a single professional public relations officer was a measure implemented from December last year under the Ministry of Justice directive "Regulations on Prohibition of Disclosure of Criminal Cases," following the investigation of former Minister Cho Kuk.

Since then, other prosecution offices have also assigned one human rights supervisor (Human Rights Protection Officer) to handle public relations for the entire office.

In this reshuffle, former public relations officer Park was assigned as Chief Prosecutor of the Dongbu Branch of Busan District Prosecutors’ Office. Park was recognized by his peers in class 29 as a frontrunner. His initial posting at Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office attests to this. Considering he took on difficult duties during a challenging period and was even reappointed once, this appointment seems somewhat disappointing. There was a rumor around Seocho-dong that former Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, who was promoted to Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office despite being a defendant, had at some point taken a disliking to Park.

Cases where spokespersons or public relations officers do not receive personnel benefits despite enduring difficult times have increased noticeably under the current administration. This is likely because the Ministry of Justice and prosecution are in unprecedented conflict, forcing individuals to take sides, resulting in outcomes beyond their control.

Former spokesperson Park Jae-eok (class of 29), who served during former Minister Cho Kuk’s tenure, had to sweat through daily responses to numerous allegations from the preparation stage of the confirmation hearing before Cho’s inauguration. It must have been no easy task to verify the truth of the reports and respond to each one amid a flood of new allegations every day. He even resumed smoking after quitting for years.

Especially sensitive to media reports, former Minister Cho likely reprimanded spokesperson Park multiple times when the spokesperson office’s responses were delayed or unsatisfactory from his perspective.

Perhaps because he failed to satisfy former Minister Cho, Park was appointed Chief Prosecutor of Pohang Branch of Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office after stepping down as spokesperson. He later served as Human Rights Supervisor at Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office and Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Cheongju District Prosecutors’ Office, and was assigned as Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office in this reshuffle.

As mentioned earlier, former Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson Kwon Soon-jung also did not receive personnel benefits. After finishing her spokesperson role, she was transferred to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office last year and moved to Chief Prosecutor of the Western Branch of Busan District Prosecutors’ Office in this reshuffle.

There are also cases of turnaround. One is Joo Young-hwan, Director of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Justice (class of 27), who was promoted to Chief Prosecutor in this reshuffle. He was team leader of the joint investigation team on savings bank corruption at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in 2011, served as Crime Information Officer 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and led Team 1 of the Special Investigation Unit on Corruption Crimes at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in 2016. He is one of the representative special prosecutors within the prosecution. The Special Investigation Unit on Corruption Crimes, established in 2016, effectively took over the role of the Central Investigation Department after its abolition. Joo served as deputy head assisting former Busan District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Kim Ki-dong (class of 21) and achieved results investigating the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering case.

During the tenure of former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il, when the whirlwind of prosecution reform swept through following a change in administration, Joo served as spokesperson of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. He later served as 1st Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office and Chief Prosecutor of Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, but was demoted to Director of the Yongin Branch of the Judicial Research and Training Institute in last September’s reshuffle by former Minister Choo. However, he made a spectacular comeback as Director of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Justice in the high-level prosecutor reshuffle conducted in June.

The most regrettable cases in the mid-level prosecutor reshuffle conducted on the 25th of last month were the public relations officers who handled the prosecution offices investigating so-called ‘regime-related cases.’

Specifically, Kang Soo-san-na, former public relations officer (Human Rights Supervisor, class of 30) of Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, which investigated the ‘Kim Hak-eui illegal deportation’ case, and Kim Myung-soo, former public relations officer (class of 30) of Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, which investigated the ‘Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Economic Feasibility Manipulation’ case.

In this reshuffle, Kang was assigned as Chief Prosecutor of the Important Economic Crime Investigation Unit (Junggyeongdan) at Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office, and Kim was assigned as Chief Prosecutor of Junggyeongdan 1 Unit at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Although Junggyeongdan was established to actively utilize the skills of experienced and senior prosecutors in investigations, it is actually regarded as a sidelined post similar to those at high prosecutors’ offices where senior prosecutors who have not retired are assigned.

Kang and Kim must have endured much hardship handling public relations for prosecution offices investigating cases that openly displeased President Moon Jae-in, the ruling party, and even their appointing authorities, former Ministers Choo and Park. Especially as investigations intensified and related articles were reported in the media, pressure from the Ministry of Justice likely increased.

It seems truly unfair to them to suffer personnel disadvantages simply because they handled public relations for prosecution offices investigating specific cases, and because those investigations were unfavorable to the regime. After all, their assignments to those prosecution offices and public relations roles were not their personal choices but decisions made by the Ministry of Justice’s personnel management.

All Female Spokespersons at Ministry of Justice, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office

One notable aspect of this reshuffle is that the spokespersons and public relations officers responsible for public relations at the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office are all women.

Although former Park Gye-hyun, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Chuncheon District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 22), once served as spokesperson of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, this appears to be the first time that women have been appointed as spokespersons at both the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office simultaneously.

Park Hyun-joo, former Chief of the Women and Child Crime Investigation Division at Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 31), was appointed Ministry of Justice spokesperson; Seo In-seon, former Chief of Criminal Division 5 at Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office (class of 31), was appointed Supreme Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson; and Lee Hye-eun, Chief of Criminal Division 1 at Pyeongtaek Branch (class of 33), was appointed Public Relations Officer at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

Spokesperson Park is a first-class certified specialist (Black Belt) in sexual violence cases, and Public Relations Officer Lee is a second-class certified specialist (Blue Belt) in national litigation. Seo, the first female public security prosecutor, served as deputy spokesperson at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in 2010 and now takes on the spokesperson role.

It is expected that the two women appointed as spokespersons at the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office will work in much better environments compared to their predecessors. This is because Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, who enjoys strong trust from the current administration, was appointed as prosecutor general, making a confrontation with Minister Park Beom-gye less likely.

However, there remains the possibility of renewed conflicts between the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Prosecutors’ Office over ongoing investigations related to the regime, the inspection process of Im Eun-jung, Director of Inspection at the Ministry of Justice who moved from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and the ruling party’s push for the establishment of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Office through the complete removal of prosecution’s investigative authority (known as "Geomsu Wanbak").