Former Deputy Prosecutor General Bong Wook, a "Planning Expert," Considered for New Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs... Another Former Prosecutor Under Review

Bong, Former Deputy Prosecutor General, Was a Candidate for Prosecutor General Alongside Former President Yoon in 2019... Currently an Attorney at Kim & Chang
Known as a "Planning Expert" Prosecutor, Also Served as Director-General at the Ministry of Justice
Nominated as a Supreme Court Justice Candidate by Chief Justice Kim Myungsoo in 2021
Former Senior Secretary Oh Resigned Voluntarily Amid Allegations of Holding Assets Under Borrowed Names

President Lee Jaemyung is reportedly considering appointing another former prosecutor as the new Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs. Bong Wook, the former Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who was included among the candidates for Prosecutor General during the Moon Jaein administration, is being mentioned as a leading candidate.

Bongwook, the newly appointed Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office

According to legal and ruling party sources on June 28, the presidential office has been conducting candidate vetting for the vacant Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs position, focusing on individuals with extensive knowledge of the prosecution, following the resignation of former Senior Secretary Oh Kwangsoo. It is said that the process is ongoing with several candidates, including former Deputy Prosecutor General Bong. After Oh Kwangsoo resigned just five days after his appointment due to allegations of holding assets under borrowed names, the presidential office took time to search for a successor.

Former Deputy Prosecutor General Bong (18th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) is one year junior to President Lee at the institute and is known as a "planning expert" prosecutor who left the prosecution in 2019 after serving as Deputy Prosecutor General. Before his retirement, he served as the head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Advanced Crime Investigation Division, Policy Planning Division, and Public Security Planning Division. At the Ministry of Justice, he served as Director-General for Planning and Coordination and Director-General for Legal Affairs. During his time as Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, he led investigations into conglomerates such as Hanwha Group and Taekwang Group, earning recognition for his abilities within the organization.

After former President Yoon, who was one year his junior at the institute, was ultimately selected as Prosecutor General in 2019, Bong left the prosecution and began practicing law. In 2021, he was also nominated as a candidate for Supreme Court Justice, alongside then-Chief Judge Chun Daeyeop of the Seoul High Court. He is currently an attorney at Kim & Chang. During the Kim Daejung administration, he also worked as a dispatched prosecutor in the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House.

Yonhap News Agency

However, some observers note that perceptions of Bong within the ruling party may not differ significantly from those of former Senior Secretary Oh. Factors such as Bong's failure to receive the final nomination for Prosecutor General in 2019?when the Moon Jaein administration was pushing for prosecution reform?despite being shortlisted alongside former President Yoon, Vice Minister of Justice Kim Osu, and Suwon High Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Geumro, as well as his current position as an attorney at the major law firm Kim & Chang, could be obstacles.

In particular, there is concern that the issues surrounding former Senior Secretary Oh, who was also a prosecutor specializing in special investigations, could recur. Within the ruling party, there have been persistent claims that Oh would take a passive stance toward the Lee Jaemyung administration's prosecution reform, which aims to completely separate the prosecution's investigative and indictment powers. However, a ruling party official stated, "President Lee believes that someone who understands the prosecution well is the most efficient person to push forward prosecution reform, and it is unlikely that this view will change."