Kim Hyunjung: "Disciplinary Procedures Should Be Taken to Hold Them Accountable for Defiance"
As prosecutors who collectively expressed dissent over the decision to forgo an appeal in the Daejang-dong trial submitted their resignations, Kim Hyunjung, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "Their resignations should not be accepted."
On the 18th, during an appearance on 'KBS 1 Radio Jeonggyeok Sisa,' Kim Hyunjung commented on the prosecutors who offered to resign, saying, "I believe these resignations should not be accepted, and as the party has stated, disciplinary procedures should be initiated so that they are held accountable for their defiance."
The previous day, Park Jae-eok, Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, and Song Kang, Chief Prosecutor of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office, submitted their resignations just one day after it became known that the Ministry of Justice intended to reassign the chief prosecutors who opposed the decision not to appeal to the position of regular prosecutors.
Kim, the floor spokesperson, said, "The two individuals who submitted their resignations are from the 29th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, the same class as former Acting Prosecutor General Noh Manseok, and they are the most senior among the prosecutors who defied orders. Because they are the most senior, it appears they resigned to lead the group as a whole."
The Democratic Party is intensifying its criticism of the prosecutors who opposed the decision to forgo the appeal in the Daejang-dong trial. The party insists that personnel measures, such as transferring the chief prosecutors to regular prosecutor positions, as well as disciplinary action, are necessary.
Additionally, efforts are underway to abolish the Prosecutors' Disciplinary Act and amend the Public Prosecutors' Office Act so that prosecutors can be dismissed through disciplinary action by applying the State Public Officials Act. Under current law, prosecutors can only be dismissed if they are impeached or receive a final criminal sentence of imprisonment or higher.
In response to criticism that the recently proposed bill to abolish the Prosecutors' Disciplinary Act is effectively a 'prosecutor gag law,' Kim Hyunjung countered, "The reason for having a separate Prosecutors' Disciplinary Act was to allow prosecutors to conduct fair investigations without external pressure. However, political prosecutors have failed to do so, manipulating investigations and recklessly indicting individuals to target certain people. The prosecution has brought this on itself."
Meanwhile, after the party's policy meeting, Kim Hyunjung told reporters regarding her earlier radio comment opposing the acceptance of the resignations, "That was my personal opinion," and clarified, "It was my view on violations of the State Public Officials Act," emphasizing that it was not the official position of the party.
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