Tomorrow Prosecution Chief Recommendation Committee... Outline of Yoon Administration's First Prosecution Chief Candidate

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee (Recommendation Committee), which will select the first Prosecutor General candidate under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, will be held at 2 p.m. on the 16th at the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon.

At this meeting, the Recommendation Committee will narrow down the pool of candidates to 3 to 4 people. Previously, the Ministry of Justice received nominations for the Prosecutor General candidates through a public call from the 12th to the 19th of last month. After obtaining consent and conducting verification, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon selected a total of nine candidates and notified the Recommendation Committee of the list.

The list reportedly includes seven current officials and two former officials. They are Yeo Hwan-seop, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (24th Judicial Research and Training Institute class; hereafter referred to as class), Kim Hu-gon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office (25th class), Noh Jeong-yeon, Chief Prosecutor of Busan High Prosecutors' Office (25th class), Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office (25th class), Lee Joo-hyung, Chief Prosecutor of Suwon High Prosecutors' Office (25th class), Jo Jong-tae, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office (25th class), and Lee Won-seok, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (27th class). Former prosecution executives include Gu Bon-seon, former Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office (23rd class), and Cha Maeng-gi, former Chief of the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office (24th class).

Currently, Lee Won-seok, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who is acting as the Prosecutor General, is considered the most likely candidate. He is known as a leading 'special investigation expert' within the prosecution and has been managing the organization stably as acting Prosecutor General since May, after the 'Complete Removal of Prosecution's Investigation Rights (Geomsu Wanbak)' phase, earning the trust of President Yoon.

Yeo Hwan-seop, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, stood out at the forefront of special investigations such as the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department since his time as a junior prosecutor and worked with President Yoon in cases like the 2005 Daewoo Group accounting fraud. Kim Hu-gon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, is highly respected within the prosecution for his ability and character and is evaluated as 'non-Yoon (Bi-Yoon),' which helps avoid criticism of 'line personnel.' Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor, is also a special investigation expert, and among the candidates, Noh Jeong-yeon, the only female Chief Prosecutor, has a connection with President Yoon from their time working together at the Seongnam Branch Office on the 'carpool' issue.