Lee Chang-soo, former Jeonju District Prosecutor, appointed as the Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Lee Chang-soo, former Jeonju District Prosecutor and a member of the 30th Judicial Research and Training Institute class, has been appointed as the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, overseeing investigations into allegations of luxury bag acceptance by First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, and stock manipulation allegations involving Deutsch Motors.
On the 13th, the Ministry of Justice carried out personnel changes effective on the 16th, including new appointments (12) and transfers (27) among 39 prosecutors at the senior prosecutor level, including Lee.
A Ministry of Justice official explained the background of the personnel changes, stating, "This personnel reshuffle aims to fill vacancies in some senior prosecutor positions that had remained open for a considerable period even after the Minister of Justice took office, supporting the stable operation of the Ministry of Justice and prosecution, and to promote organizational reform and vitality through new appointments of senior prosecutors."
The appointment of Lee as Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the position that attracted the most attention in this reshuffle, was confirmed. Lee served as the spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office when President Yoon was Prosecutor General, acting as Yoon's voice during times when the Ministry of Justice, which was at odds with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, attacked Prosecutor General Yoon. In subsequent personnel changes, while the Ministry of Justice spokespersons were promoted to Deputy Chief Prosecutors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Lee was assigned as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, which was seen as a demotion. However, after President Yoon's inauguration, Lee was appointed head of the Seongnam branch office, a typical promotion path to becoming a chief prosecutor.
While serving as head of the Seongnam branch office last year, Lee investigated allegations of illegal donations to Seongnam FC involving Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and sent him to trial. Since his appointment as Jeonju District Prosecutor in September last year, he has been leading investigations into preferential employment allegations involving the son-in-law of former President Moon Jae-in at Eastar Jet.
Song Kyung-ho, the current Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (30th class), has been appointed as Chief Prosecutor of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office.
In this personnel reshuffle, Kim Chang-jin, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Planning Director at the Judicial Research and Training Institute; Jeon Moo-gon, head of the Seongnam branch office, was appointed Planning and Coordination Director at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Kim Tae-eun, Third Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Director of the Public Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Jeong Hee-do, head of the Ansan branch office, was appointed Director of the Trial and Litigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; and Heo Jeong, head of the Goyang branch office, was appointed Director of the Scientific Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, all promoted to chief prosecutors.
Park Hyun-chul, Second Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was promoted to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office; Ko Hyung-gon, Fourth Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office; Park Seong-min, First Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office; Lim Seung-chul, First Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office; and Koo Seung-mo, Legal Affairs Officer at the Ministry of Justice, to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office, respectively.
Additionally, Park Young-jin, Director of the Crime Information Center at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was promoted and appointed as Chief Prosecutor of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office, and Jang Dong-chul, Head of the Criminal Division at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, was promoted and appointed as Chief Prosecutor of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office.
In the transfers of high prosecutors and chief prosecutors carried out on the same day, Im Gwan-hyeok, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office, was transferred to Seoul High Prosecutors' Office; Kwon Soon-jung, Director of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, to Suwon High Prosecutors' Office; Hwang Byung-joo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, to Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office; Lee Jin-dong, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, to Daegu High Prosecutors' Office; and Shin Bong-su, Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, to Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office.
Byun Pil-geon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Director of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Justice, and Song Kang, Chief Prosecutor of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Director of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice.
Park Se-hyun, current Director of the Criminal Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office; Shin Eung-seok, Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office; Jeong Jin-woo, Chief Prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office; Kim Seon-hwa, Chief Prosecutor of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office. Kim Seong-hoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office; Park Jae-eok, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office; Kim Yu-cheol, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office; Lee Young-rim, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office; Seong Sang-heon, Director of Planning and Coordination at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office; Park Young-bin, Director of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office; Park Ki-dong, Director of the Public Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office; Park Hyun-jun, Director of the Scientific Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office; Jeong Yu-mi, Director of the Trial and Litigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office; and Lee Jong-hyuk, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office.
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