Legal Chiefs Returning from Vacation... Upcoming Issues Ahead

Prosecutorial Reform, Wolseong Nuclear Plant, and Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol Investigation Require Leadership Decisions... Potential Political Controversy Ahead of Presidential Election

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The heads of the legal sector, including the Ministry of Justice, the prosecution, and the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division, are wrapping up their summer vacations and accelerating the handling of current issues. Each institution is dealing with sensitive matters such as prosecution reform, the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, and the first major investigation, drawing attention to what decisions the leaders will make in conjunction with the final half-year of the current administration's governance.

According to the legal sector on the 2nd, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, who started his vacation on the 30th of last month, rested until this day and will return to work to finalize the prosecution reform efforts.

In Park Minister’s case, he has cleared all sensitive issues, including the prosecution system reorganization, large-scale personnel changes, and joint inspections related to allegations of witness tampering by the investigation team of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, allowing him to focus solely on follow-up measures for prosecution reform.

It is known that within the Ministry of Justice, discussions are ongoing regarding amendments to the "Regulations on the Prohibition of Disclosure of Criminal Case Facts" related to the issue of disclosing suspect information, as well as inspections into the "prosecutorial sponsor culture." Earlier, Minister Park had announced a large-scale organizational diagnosis concerning allegations that an active prosecutor received money from a "fake seafood businessman."

Minister Park must also personally oversee the results of the Ministry of Justice’s parole review committee, which is expected to convene shortly after his return. Moreover, this time, the Ministry of Justice has relaxed the parole review criteria from 80% to 60% of the sentence served, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong on the parole list. After the review committee, including Deputy Minister Kang Seong-guk, discusses the parole decision, Minister Park’s final approval will release Lee.

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, who ended his vacation on the 30th of last month and returns to work today, must speed up the investigation into the economic feasibility manipulation allegations related to Wolseong Unit 1. Previously, the prosecution indicted individuals involved in the allegations, but decided to submit the embezzlement instruction charge against former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-gyu to the investigation review committee. However, the committee has not convened for over a month, so it is highly likely that Prosecutor General Kim, upon returning from vacation, will soon proceed with the remaining procedures.

Senior prosecution officials, including the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, are also returning from vacation in line with Prosecutor General Kim’s schedule and will resume leading major cases. Representative cases include investigations into the Blue House’s planned purge allegations involving former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Lee Kwang-cheol and investigations related to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s family.

Kim Jin-wook, head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division, who returned from vacation last week, has also resumed work. Regarding the division’s first investigation into allegations of unfair special hiring of dismissed teachers by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, the summons and questioning of Superintendent Cho have been completed, leaving only Kim’s final decision.

However, the cases involving former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl that the division has opened are expected to take more time. It is reported that the initial stage of investigation, including complainant questioning, has not been properly conducted for two cases: the alleged inadequate investigation of the Optimus Fund case and the obstruction of investigation related to witness tampering allegations involving former Prime Minister Han.

Some view that former Prosecutor General Yoon is feeling political pressure as he accelerates his presidential campaign by joining the People Power Party. However, if the investigation results are released after the opposition party’s final presidential candidate is decided, the controversy over "election interference" could intensify, so the legal sector consensus is that Director Kim must make a prompt decision.