Prominent Candidates Including Sim Woo-jung, Im Kwan-hyuk, and Shin Ja-yong
A meeting was held on the 7th to recommend candidates for the next Prosecutor General to succeed Lee Won-seok, Prosecutor General (27th Judicial Research and Training Institute class), who will retire on the 15th of next month upon the expiration of his term.
The Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Recommendation Committee) held a meeting from 2 p.m. at the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon to review the pool of candidates for the Prosecutor General.
Ahead of Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok's term expiration, the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee held a meeting on the afternoon of the 7th at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon to recommend the second Prosecutor General candidate for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Chairman Jeong Sang-myeong is delivering the opening remarks. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@
Jeong Sang-myeong, former Prosecutor General and chair of the Recommendation Committee, said in his opening remarks, "The Recommendation Committee was introduced in July 2011 with the amendment of the Prosecutors' Office Act to ensure fairness and transparency in the procedure and to strengthen the neutrality and independence of the prosecution," adding, "This is the eighth time."
He said, "There have been various discussions about recent investigations, and I am well aware that the public is particularly concerned about the prosecution," and added, "Since the committee members are all aware of this, I have nothing further to add, but I want to emphasize that this committee is being held under serious circumstances."
Finally, Chair Jeong said, "During the process of selecting the Prosecutor General candidate, I hope all committee members will freely express their opinions, ask various questions beyond the prepared materials if necessary, and share their insights on the ongoing situation. This will greatly help the successor Prosecutor General in performing their duties and will be conveyed to other lawmakers during the National Assembly hearing, leading to a thorough and in-depth review."
According to the Prosecutors' Office Act, the Recommendation Committee consists of nine members, including ex officio members such as Song Kang, Director of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecution Bureau; Bae Hyung-won, Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office; and Kim Young-hoon, President of the Korean Bar Association. The Recommendation Committee recommends at least three candidates for Prosecutor General to the Minister of Justice by a majority vote of the members present.
Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae recommends one of these candidates to President Yoon Suk-yeol, and the law stipulates that the recommendation of the Recommendation Committee must be respected. Once the Recommendation Committee recommends candidates for Prosecutor General, the committee is considered dissolved.
Ahead of Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok's term expiration, the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee held a meeting on the afternoon of the 7th at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon to recommend the second Prosecutor General candidate for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Chairman Jeong Sang-myeong and the committee members are seated, preparing for the meeting. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@
Although this is the legally prescribed procedure, in practice, it has been customary for the President to consult with the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs or the Minister of Justice before the Recommendation Committee convenes to decide on the Prosecutor General candidate.
Inside and outside the prosecution, Shim Woo-jung, Deputy Minister of Justice (26th class), Lim Kwan-hyuk, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office (26th class), and Shin Ja-yong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (28th class) are mentioned as strong candidates.
Ultimately, the next Prosecutor General will be decided according to Yoon's trust (尹心), and all three have connections with President Yoon. They are also commonly evaluated as suitable candidates for Prosecutor General in terms of work ability, character, and leadership within the organization.
The most likely candidate is Deputy Minister Shim. Born in Gongju, Chungnam, Shim is the son of Shim Dae-pyeong, former Governor of Chungnam and leader of the Liberty Forward Party, and is regarded as having "no enemies inside or outside the prosecution." During the Park Geun-hye administration, he held key positions such as Director of the Criminal Planning Division at the Ministry of Justice, Director of the Prosecution Division at the Ministry of Justice, and Chief of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, he was promoted to Chief Prosecutor and held important posts such as Director of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Justice and Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office. After the regime change, he was promoted to Chief Prosecutor at the High Prosecutors' Office and was appointed Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Deputy Minister of Justice. A former prosecutor described him as "a very outstanding but modest person with a gentle personality."
He is a representative 'planner' within the prosecution, but his only handicap is a lack of experience in politically sensitive large-scale gate cases or special investigations of large corporations. However, some analyses suggest this could be an advantage, as after President Yoon's inauguration, personnel from the 'special investigation' faction were appointed heads of various national institutions, including the Financial Supervisory Service, and faced criticism. Notably, President Yoon's trust in Deputy Minister Shim is evident from appointing him as Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, one class senior to Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, to assist the Prosecutor General, and later appointing him as Deputy Minister of Justice during a difficult period of appointing a successor Minister after former Minister Han Dong-hoon resigned, entrusting him with acting minister duties. Jeong Jin-seok, Chief of Staff at the Presidential Office and also from Gongju, is a strong ally of Shim.
From the left, Shim Woo-jung, Vice Minister of Justice; Lim Gwan-hyeok, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office; Shin Ja-yong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Legal News
Unlike Deputy Minister Shim, Chief Prosecutor Lim and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shin are typical 'special investigation' prosecutors from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Special Investigation Division 1 (currently Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1). Therefore, compared to Deputy Minister Shim, who overlapped with President Yoon for a few months while serving as Chief of the Criminal Division 1 during Yoon's tenure as Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief, Lim and Shin have a much broader professional connection with President Yoon.
Chief Prosecutor Lim, who investigated former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's violation of the Political Funds Act as a junior prosecutor, was considered the 'front-runner' among his peers during the Park Geun-hye administration, serving consecutively as Deputy Chief of Special Investigation Division 2 and Special Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. However, under the Moon Jae-in administration, he was demoted to Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office. Later, he served as Chief Prosecutor of the Cheonan and Ansan Branches, considered minor posts, until he was appointed head of the Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Unit in 2019 by then Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol. However, Lim was never promoted to Chief Prosecutor afterward and had to move to positions at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office and Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office. After President Yoon's inauguration, he appointed Lim as Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, considered the most senior among the Seoul District Prosecutors' Offices, in the first personnel reshuffle.
President Yoon is known to have been very regretful that Chief Prosecutor Lim, who has outstanding investigative skills, was not promoted to Chief Prosecutor in a timely manner. During Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's tenure, President Yoon strongly recommended Lim's promotion to Chief Prosecutor to Minister Choo. However, as is known, Minister Choo thoroughly rejected the Prosecutor General's opinions on personnel matters, and prosecutors recommended by President Yoon for Chief Prosecutor or Deputy Chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office were reportedly disadvantaged in personnel decisions.
Chief Prosecutor Lim is known as a principled person with a strong character. Among prosecutors, there is an anecdote that he clashed with Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, at a dinner. At that gathering with reporters and prosecution executives, Lim was told by a senior prosecutor to greet Kim, who was then head of the Money Today legal team, but Lim retorted, "Why should I go greet first?" Eventually, he reluctantly greeted Kim but had a heated argument with Kim, who showed disrespect to his superior by relying on his age. Toward the end, Kim reportedly expressed strong displeasure by saying something to the effect of, "I will watch how well you do from now on. I may not be able to promote you, but I can make sure you don't get promoted."
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shin held key positions during the Moon Jae-in administration, including Chief of the Special Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Director of the Prosecution Division at the Ministry of Justice, and First Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. After the 'Cho Kuk incident,' which led President Yoon to confront the Moon administration, Shin was briefly demoted to Head of Litigation at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office but was later reinstated as Director of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice and Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office after the regime change. In 2016, while serving as Chief of the Criminal Division 4 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, he was dispatched to the Special Prosecutor Team for the State Affairs Manipulation case, where he worked closely with President Yoon and Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Shin is evaluated as a prosecutor with excellent investigative skills and the ability to modulate intensity. Unlike typical 'special investigation' prosecutors, he does not overextend himself to achieve results. He served as Chief of the Special Investigation Division 1 under Han Dong-hoon, then Third Deputy Chief Prosecutor, during President Yoon's tenure as Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief, investigating several major cases. However, since Han entered politics and developed a subtle rivalry with President Yoon, being classified as part of Han's faction is expected to be a disadvantage in the Prosecutor General appointment, where the President's intentions play a decisive role. Nevertheless, as Shin is two classes junior to Deputy Minister Shim and Chief Prosecutor Lim, even if he is not appointed Prosecutor General this time, there is a possibility he will be selected in the future.
Some also mention Shin Eung-seok, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (28th class), Lee Jin-dong, Chief Prosecutor of Daegu High Prosecutors' Office (28th class), and former Chief Prosecutor Choi Kyung-gyu (25th class), who left the prosecution in May, as candidates for Prosecutor General.
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