All Prosecutors Seconded to Kim Keonhee Special Counsel Request Return to Prosecution Office
Collective Action in Response to Government Organization Act Revising 'Abolition of the Prosecution Office'
Park Jiwon Proposes "Resolution for Discipli
All 40 prosecutors seconded to the special prosecutor Min Joongki's team, which is investigating allegations related to Kim Keonhee, wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, have requested to return to the prosecution office in protest against its abolition. In response, Park Jiwon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized their actions as "insubordination during a war against rebellion." Park, who serves on the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, wrote on his social media on the 30th, "About 40 prosecutors seconded to the Kim Keonhee special prosecutor team have requested to return to their original posts, and it is said that when former Prosecutor General Sim Woojeong appeared before the special prosecutor, more than a dozen seconded prosecutors greeted him. This constitutes an illegal act deviating from their status as public officials."
Park further stated, "The Minister of Justice should conduct a thorough inspection and punish the prosecutors involved, and I propose that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee adopt a resolution demanding disciplinary action. The prosecution office has now disappeared. The prosecutors' conduct has led to the prosecution office fading into history, and this is a consequence of their own actions."
In an interview on CBS Radio's "Park Jaehong's One-Pan Show" on the 30th, Park also said, "How can a seconded prosecutor say from the start that they won't come, and now, just because the prosecution office is gone, say they want to return? Refusing to investigate? This is not the duty of a public official." He continued, "Even when former Prosecutor General Sim Woojeong appeared before the special prosecutor, more than a dozen seconded prosecutors came out to greet him because he was their former superior, even though it must have been painful for them. Such behavior is not appropriate." Park emphasized, "From the perspective of public office discipline, I believe the Minister of Justice should order a strong inspection and disciplinary action."
Min Joong-ki, the special prosecutor in charge of the case related to allegations against Kim Keon-hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo by Jo Yongjun
According to Yonhap News Agency, on the 30th, the prosecutors seconded to the Kim Keonhee special prosecutor team stated, "Recently, under the pretext of separating investigation and prosecution, the Government Organization Act was amended, leading to the dismantling of the prosecution office and the loss of prosecutors' direct investigation authority over major crimes. With guidelines now in place that, in principle, prohibit investigators from maintaining indictments, we are confused as to whether it is appropriate for seconded prosecutors to continue handling special prosecutor work that combines direct investigation, indictment, and prosecution maintenance, as this is inconsistent with the current situation."
They added, "We request that Special Prosecutor Min Joongki officially express his views, through media briefings and other means, on the role of prosecutors in investigating major crimes, and the necessity of prosecutors' direct involvement in investigation, indictment, and prosecution maintenance, as confirmed during the special prosecutor's investigation process thus far."
They also stated, "With a sense of duty, we have devoted ourselves day and night during our secondment to uncovering the substantive truth in socially significant cases and resolving social conflicts. We request that, after promptly concluding the ongoing cases, arrangements be made for the seconded prosecutors to return to the front lines so that we can participate in handling the rapidly increasing number of unresolved civil cases."
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