"Prosecutorial Power Return Imminent"... Im Eun-jeong Directly Hits 'Luxury Bag No Charges'

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lim's Candid Remarks on SNS
"Devastated by Articles Talking About 'Legal Professional Conscience'"

Lim Eun-jung, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (age 50, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 30), recently commented on the decision to dismiss charges regarding the suspicion of Kim Geon-hee's receipt of luxury bags, saying, "The time to return prosecutorial power is not far off."

On the 6th, Lim posted on her Facebook, starting with, "As everyone expected, the prosecution decided to dismiss the Dior bag case involving Kim Geon-hee, and friends sent me articles claiming 'the conscience of legal professionals' was invoked." She continued, "For a long time, I only witnessed strict hierarchical obedience, with no sign of prosecutors' conscience or courage," and strongly criticized the organization she belongs to by saying, "The prosecution under the Park Geun-hye government, the Moon Jae-in government, and the Yoon Seok-youl government had the same members and the same top-down organizational culture, acting as one body, and were merely the prosecution's own prosecution."

Lim Eun-jeong, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, is testifying as a witness at the hearing on August 14th at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding Kim Young-chul, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, and the investigation of the impeachment case.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Lim said, "Cho Hee-jin, the current chairman of the Korea Legal Aid Corporation and chief prosecutor of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office, once scolded me, saying, 'The prosecution has become much cleaner than before, so why do you view it so negatively?'" She explained, "It is true that the prosecution has become much cleaner than before, but citizens are not comparing the prosecution of the past with the present prosecution; rather, they compare the ideal prosecution that should exist based on current laws and high civic awareness with the reality of the prosecution." She added, "As the world becomes more transparent, citizens judge the prosecution's right and wrong by its revealed behavior, not by the prosecution's external claims of law, principles, or conscience. I was dismayed and clicked my tongue at how someone at the level of a chief prosecutor could hold such foolish thoughts."

She also stated, "Prosecutorial power is not an inherent right granted from heaven but is entrusted to the prosecution by sovereign citizens," and "I do not know how long citizens' patience will last, but seeing articles invoking 'the conscience of legal professionals,' I feel the time has come for the prosecution to return prosecutorial power it cannot handle." She concluded her post by saying, "As a member of the prosecution, I feel devastated, but this is also the prosecution's karma, so I will fulfill my role as a member of the prosecution."

Recently, the prosecution dismissed charges against Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-youl, regarding the suspicion of receiving luxury bags, stating, "The investigative team responsible for maintaining the prosecution and proving the case reached this conclusion based on the conscience of legal professionals." Lim's remarks appear to be a criticism of this decision.

Lim Eun-jung is known for repeatedly criticizing and speaking frankly about corruption and irrationality within the prosecution organization. She worked at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office before being transferred to the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office in June.