Ministry of Justice Begins Selection of Successor to Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok... Former Chief Justice Jeong Sang-myeong Appointed as Recommendation Committee Chair

President Lee Won-seok's Term Ends on September 15
Candidates Nominated from 8th to 15th

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok is entering the press room at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd to announce his position on the Democratic Party's impeachment motion against prosecutors. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

The selection process for the successor to Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, whose term expires on September 15, has officially begun.

The Ministry of Justice announced that it has formed a Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee on the 5th to recommend candidates for the Prosecutor General position in light of Lee's upcoming term expiration. The chairperson was appointed as former Prosecutor General Jeong Sang-myeong, a non-ex officio member.

The ex officio members include Bae Hyung-won, Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office; Kim Young-hoon, President of the Korean Bar Association; Cho Hong-sik, President of the Korean Law Professors Association; Lee Sang-kyung, Chairman of the Council of Law Schools; and Song Kang, Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Bureau. Non-ex officio members were appointed to gather expert and diverse opinions on the Prosecutor General candidates, including former Prosecutor General Jeong Sang-myeong, Lee Jin-gi, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University Law School, Ahn Soo-hyun, Dean of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Law School, and Kim Se-dong, Editorial Writer at Munhwa Ilbo.

The Ministry of Justice will also conduct a public nomination process for the new Prosecutor General candidates from the 8th to the 15th of this month. Individuals, corporations, or organizations may confidentially nominate, in writing (excluding fax or email), a person they deem suitable for the Prosecutor General position to the Minister of Justice, specifying the reasons for nomination. Nominees must have at least 15 years of legal experience.

The Minister of Justice will review the nomination status and propose candidates deemed suitable to the Recommendation Committee for evaluation. The committee will then assess the qualifications and recommend three or more candidates to the Minister, who will respect the committee’s recommendations and propose a candidate for Prosecutor General.