Justice Minister Park Beom-gye (right) and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol meet at the Seoul High Prosecutor’s Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul on the 5th to discuss the prosecution’s personnel. [사진 법무부]
– It was confirmed that the Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye met with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol on the 5th and conveyed the intention that “Seoul District Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon will remain unconditionally.” Therefore, both inside and outside the prosecution are concerned that “Minister Park has only the shape of a’consultation’ and is trying to reproduce the’president’s personnel passing’ like former Minister Chu Mi-ae.”
Second consultation over prosecution personnel
Notified that the return of the District Prosecutor’s Office is not possible
Only in the form of’consultation’ by the minister and the president
Criticism of’Greeting Passing Chumiae Season 2′
– In summary, the JoongAng Ilbo coverage, Minister Park, who had a second personnel consultation with President Yoon on the same day, made it clear that he would retain him. As Minister Park clearly conveyed his will to remain in the Blue House, it is evaluated that the room for compromise has virtually disappeared due to the promotion of Chief Prosecutor of the District Prosecutors Office. Even within the central district prosecutor’s office, there were many criticisms of prosecuting the prosecution by selecting only cases that suit the taste of the regime. In December of last year, high-ranking officials of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office suggested the resignation of the District Prosecutor’s Office.
In recent years, it has also been on board the investigation of the prosecution. At the time of his tenure as the anti-corruption and strong head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, suspicions arose that he used external pressure to block the investigation of’Illegal Withdrawal of Kim Hak’ by Anyang Branch. With President Yoon, there have been frequent disagreements over investigations aimed at the regime, such as the investigation of the Open Democratic Party representative Choi Kang-wook and the investigation of former Justice Minister Cho Kook. General Yoon suggested the’Shin Sang Pil-pen’ as the standard for executive personnel and requested the replacement of this district prosecutor who lost his command. Even at the second meeting on this day, Yoon said that it would be inappropriate to retain the district prosecutor’s office, but Secretary Park confirmed his intention to stay.
It is said that the process of personnel discussions that took place at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office on this day was also very different from the precedent. It was carried out in a manner in which the President gave an opinion over the specific personnel plan of the Minister of Trade, but in the consultation on the day, Secretary Park did not even show the personnel plan. It means that Yun did not even have an opportunity to express opinions on individual personnel. Secretary Park’s attitude reflects the current passport trend. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min, a member of the ruling party’s legal and judicial committee, said on the radio on the 4th, “If you drive out Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, the prosecution reform could retreat.”
On this day, Minister Park also indicated that “Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon (Research Fellow of the Legal Affairs and Training Institute) should not return to the front-line district prosecutor’s office.” Minister Park said in the National Assembly the day before that “there is a strong question of whether the actual truth is (what has been revealed) is correct without (a prosecutor’s) cell phone forensic.” Prosecutor Han was relegated three times last year, starting from being appointed as deputy chief of the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office during the “prosecutor’s massacre greetings” by former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. The Central District Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation team has concluded that one prosecutor’s office should be dealt with without charges, but the approval is blocked at the line of the District Prosecutor’s Office, Lee Seong-yoon. In response, some have observed that the coming prosecution officer will return to the front-line district prosecutor’s office.
Minister Park said at the National Assembly the day before, “The ultimate (greeting) requester is the Minister of Justice.” “Because the Prosecutors’ Office Act says’listen to opinions’, it is interpreted more narrowly than the concept of’consultation’.” It did not mean that the opinion of the prosecutor general should be reflected in personnel, but that there is no problem with just a formal’listening’. An attorney from one prosecutor said, “If you summarize Park’s remarks at the National Assembly, the actual personnel content is highly likely to proceed without ignoring the opinion of the president,” he said. “If so, it is like’Chumiae Season 2′.” One prosecution officer pointed out that “the way that photos of private meetings are usually released to the media is also a well-designed political show.”
Reporters Sumin Kim and Yujin Jung [email protected]
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