Prosecutor An Insu: "I Will Not Forget the Justice, Procedures, and Conscience Urged by My Seniors"
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] It has been confirmed that former prosecutors-turned-lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea, including So Byeong-cheol and Baek Hye-ryeon, who served on the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, all emphasized 'procedural fairness' in their resignation letters upon leaving the prosecution.
In the current situation where the Democratic Party is forcibly pushing through the 'Complete Removal of Prosecutorial Investigation Authority' (Geomsu Wanbak) bill, even going as far as having lawmaker Min Hyung-bae fake his party resignation to neutralize the agenda adjustment committee, an active prosecutor recently found and posted these resignation letters.
On the morning of the 22nd, Ahn In-su, a prosecutor in the 5th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office (age 39, passed the 3rd Bar Exam), posted on the prosecution’s internal network, E-Pros, a message titled 'There is a resignation letter that teaches us something, so I want to share it,' in which he excerpted parts of the resignation letters of three Democratic Party lawmakers who were formerly prosecutors: So Byeong-cheol, Kim Hoe-jae, and Baek Hye-ryeon.
So, a graduate of the 15th Judicial Research and Training Institute class, was commissioned as a prosecutor at the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office in 1986. He served as Director of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Justice, Chief of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, and finally as Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute before leaving the prosecution in 2013.
Kim, who completed the 20th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, began his career as a prosecutor in 1993 at the Ulsan branch of the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office. He served as a prosecutor in the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Division 1, a researcher at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Chief Prosecutor of the Ansan branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, Chief Prosecutor of the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, and left the prosecution after serving as Chief Prosecutor of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office in 2018.
Baek, who graduated from the 29th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, was commissioned as a prosecutor at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office in 2000. After serving as a prosecutor at the Gimcheon branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office, the Ansan branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, she left the prosecution in 2011 after her last post at the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office.
In his post, Prosecutor Ahn wrote, “There are many irregularities such as fake party resignations. Justice, procedural fairness, and conscience are values that can never be abandoned. I want to share resignation letters that emphasize justice, procedure, and conscience until the very end. I will not forget the justice, procedure, and conscience that our seniors urged us to uphold.” He then excerpted parts of the resignation letters of the three lawmakers.
In So’s resignation letter introduced by Prosecutor Ahn, So stated, "The most terrifying enemy that renders the rule of law powerless is the force that unconditionally prioritizes violence and physical power, ignoring the necessary procedures and concessions to protect human dignity and the constitutional values of liberal democracy."
Kim said, "We must be wary of the tendency to make irresponsible decisions by riding the waves of current trends and public opinion. That path may seem wide and easy, but it ultimately leads to ruin."
He also said, "I firmly believe that choosing the path of genuine reform, not formal or momentary reform, is the way for the prosecution to survive and the only way to regain the trust of the people."
Kim further stated, "We must never build a house on sand. When the wind blows and the rain falls, that house will soon collapse."
Baek wrote, "Justice must not only be just but also appear just."
Although the full text of Baek’s resignation letter was not introduced, so the exact issue he was addressing is unclear, he wrote, "It is time to reflect on whether there was any problem with procedural fairness," and "Despite serious issues being raised on the front lines, not even a single forum was held, and guidelines were unilaterally communicated."
At the beginning of his post, Prosecutor Ahn said, "I will not forget the justice, procedure, and conscience that our seniors urged us to uphold," but this is interpreted as a pointed critique of the reality in which the procedural fairness and processes emphasized by these lawmakers during their time as prosecutors are being ignored amid the Democratic Party’s forceful push to pass the Geomsu Wanbak bill.
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