Where Is the Next Prosecutor General Yoon's Heart... Possibility of Appointment from Outside the Prosecution as Well

Candidates Soon Outlined... Kim Hugon, Lee Dubong, Park Chanho Likely Picks Within Prosecution
External Kwon Ikhwan, Jo Sangcheol, Moon Chanseok Seem to Decline... O Inseo, Jo Namgwan Also Mentioned
Former Chief Prosecutor: "Seniority Doesn't Matter, Ultimately What Counts Is Yoon's Mind"

From the left, Kim Hu-gon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor of Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, and Oh In-seo, former Chief Prosecutor of Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, who are mentioned as candidates for the next Prosecutor General./Photo by Legal Times Legal Professionals Directory

[Asia Economy, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Attention is focused on the next Prosecutor General candidate to be appointed by President Yoon Seok-yeol, a former Prosecutor General. While special investigation division chiefs classified as the so-called ‘Yoon Seok-yeol faction’ within the prosecution are being strongly mentioned as candidates, there is also growing speculation that the Prosecutor General may be selected from outside the prosecution.

According to the legal community on the 24th, the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee (the Committee), which is to recommend candidates for the Prosecutor General to Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon for submission to President Yoon, had not yet been notified of its convening by the morning of that day.

According to related regulations, unless there are urgent circumstances, each committee member must be notified of the meeting date, time, location, and agenda at least three days before the meeting is held. As the convening procedure for the committee to recommend the Prosecutor General candidate has been delayed, there is increasing speculation that Minister Han will carry out another round of personnel reshuffling within the prosecution before the committee convenes.

Leading candidates for the first Prosecutor General under the Yoon administration include special investigation division chiefs who have worked closely with President Yoon or Minister Han, such as Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor of Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 25), Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office (Class 26), and Lee Won-seok, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (Class 27). Also considered strong candidates are Yeo Hwan-seop, Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office (Class 24), and Kim Hu-gon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (Class 25), both prominent special investigation division chiefs within the prosecution.

On the other hand, there is considerable speculation that the Prosecutor General may be appointed from among former chiefs who have already left the prosecution. Since the so-called ‘Yoon Seok-yeol faction’ has occupied key positions in the Ministry of Justice and frontline prosecution offices following Minister Han’s personnel reshuffle immediately after his inauguration, there is a possibility that the Prosecutor General will be selected from outside. It is also known that President Yoon wishes to appoint a Prosecutor General from outside the prosecution.

A lawyer A, formerly a high-ranking prosecutor, said, “Although the minister came from Class 27, I heard that President Yoon wants to appoint a Prosecutor General from outside because the class of the Prosecutor General should not be too low.” The committee recommends three or more candidates for Prosecutor General, and the minister submits the candidates, but ultimately the appointment authority lies with the president.

However, for former chiefs who have been practicing law for several years, the burden of a confirmation hearing amid extreme partisan conflict and the class difference with Minister Han are factors causing them to decline the Prosecutor General candidacy.

If the Prosecutor General is appointed from outside, it is expected that the appointee will be from a class higher than that of Kim, the recently promoted Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office from Class 25.

Among the candidate pool are former Chief Prosecutor Kwon Ik-hwan of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office (Class 22), former Chief Prosecutor Koo Bon-seon of Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Office (Class 23), former Chief Prosecutor Oh In-seo of Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office (Class 23), former Chief Prosecutor Cho Sang-chul of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (Class 23), former Chief Prosecutor Moon Chan-seok of Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office (Class 24), former Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute Cho Nam-gwan (Class 24), and former Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office Cho Sang-jun (Class 26).

Among them, former Chief Prosecutor Kwon and former Chief Prosecutor Cho have high trust within the prosecution and were previously mentioned as candidates for Minister of Justice, but it is known that they did not even agree to personnel screening at that time, so their likelihood of accepting a Prosecutor General candidacy recommendation appears low.

Former Chief Prosecutor Moon, who served as the inaugural head of the Securities Crime Joint Investigation Unit newly established at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in 2013, is well-versed in special investigations, having been selected as the first certified Level 1 specialist prosecutor (Black Belt) in securities crimes such as market manipulation. He is also known for his strong image, famously delivering a direct blow to Lee Sung-yoon, then Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, who did not follow the Prosecutor General’s orders during President Yoon’s tenure as Prosecutor General. However, it is known that he has declined the candidacy. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Cho is likely to be appointed as Director of the National Intelligence Service’s Planning and Coordination Office.

Meanwhile, there is an opinion that the class difference between Minister Han and the new Prosecutor General is meaningless in the current situation.

Lawyer B, a former chief prosecutor, referred to President Yoon’s past remarks, saying, “The Prosecutor General is not a subordinate of the minister, so what meaning does the class have?” He added, “In the past, the Prosecutor General and the minister used to closely consult on investigations, but that is no longer the case, so the class does not seem to matter much. Ultimately, the important thing is Yoon’s trust (Yoonshim).”