Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun holding a press conference to announce a statement at the Seoul Bar Association building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on January 24, 2019. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun (48, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 33), who sparked the 'Me Too movement' by exposing sexual harassment by a superior prosecutor in 2018, submitted her resignation immediately after receiving a notice from the Ministry of Justice to return to her original post on the 17th.
On the 17th, Prosecutor Seo posted on her Facebook, "I received the return notice while on a business trip for a committee meeting at 4 p.m. Many thoughts crossed my mind, but the meaning of giving me no time to pack and delivering such a humiliating return notice was clear, so I submitted my resignation."
She said, "The TF team has not been completed, and the advisory committee member has 3 months left, and the expert committee member has 5 months left in their term. I only have one regret," adding, "As expected, during the previous administration, I was never properly appointed even though I was a deputy chief for four years, and I have never received favorable personnel treatment. I have been continuously exposed to direct demands to leave and insane secondary victimization without any protection, so I do not feel deeply hurt."
Prosecutor Seo stated, "Thanks to the help of many people, we were able to create Sexual Crime Comprehensive Measures Ver.1, so as a prosecutor, I am glad to have come a little closer to the justice that the prosecution office could not establish," and concluded, "I have been a prosecutor for 18 years, and 4 years since Me Too. Seeing how relieved I feel, I wanted to appear composed as much as possible, but it seems it was not easy. Thank you all."
Prosecutor Seo, affiliated with the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed as a special advisor on gender equality policy in January 2020 by former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. She then served as the head of external cooperation for the Digital Sexual Crime Special Response TF in a dispatched capacity and has been the head of the Digital Sexual Crime Response TF since July last year.
However, it is reported that the Ministry of Justice notified Prosecutor Seo in the afternoon of the same day to return to her original office.
Regarding this, some speculate that ahead of the appointment of Han Dong-hoon as Minister of Justice by President Yoon Seok-youl, the Ministry of Justice is reorganizing prosecutors who held key positions during the Moon Jae-in administration with pro-government tendencies or those who negatively influenced the prosecution organization.
In response, the Ministry of Justice stated, "As of May 17, the dispatch of some prosecutors has been terminated, and they have been ordered to return to their original offices," adding, "This measure was taken after comprehensively considering the necessity of maintaining dispatched duties, the length of the dispatch period, and the reduction of frontline workload."
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