President Moon Presents Appointment Letter to Choo Mi-ae: "Minister of Justice, Final Supervisor of Prosecutorial Affairs"

President Moon urges cooperation with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol... Choo Mi-ae's 'authority' remark, Blue House says "It means asking the prosecution to take authority"

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Son Seon-hee] "Regarding prosecution reform, since the law stipulates that the Minister of Justice is the final supervisor of prosecution affairs, I hope you will lead the prosecution reform efforts well in accordance with the intent of that regulation."

President Moon Jae-in made this request on the afternoon of the 2nd during the appointment ceremony of Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae, held on the first floor of the Blue House main building. The appointment ceremony was attended by key aides of the Blue House, including Chief of Staff Noh Young-min.

President Moon said, "I believe the start of prosecution reform lies in innovatively changing investigation practices, investigation methods, and even organizational culture."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon emphasized, "Please ensure that the human rights protection regulations and protective guidelines that the Ministry of Justice and prosecution have been preparing so far, along with various reform measures, are well established. Above all, for prosecution reform to be properly realized, it is essential that the prosecution itself recognizes that it is the subject of reform and must take the lead in it."

At the informal talk following the appointment ceremony, President Moon shared his views on current issues including prosecution reform. He said, "Congratulations on your appointment as the new Minister of Justice. You have been entrusted with a very important task at a very critical time. The voices of the people demanding reform of the Ministry of Justice and prosecution are louder than ever before."

President Moon added, "In response to the people's aspirations, legal and institutional reform efforts such as the establishment of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police are currently underway amid significant difficulties."

President Moon said, "Even after the legislation is completed, a great deal of effort will be needed to properly establish and operate the changed system, comparable to the efforts made during the legislative process. Since you are a five-term lawmaker with a background as a judge and have also served as the leader of the ruling party, you possess great experience and weight, so I expect you will do very well."

President Moon requested, "Regarding reform of legal administration, I hope you will strive to transform legal administration from being prosecution-centered to one focused on the livelihood and human rights, as you have emphasized. Our government has been working in that direction since its inception, but I ask you to bring it to completion so that we can see some results."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon also stressed the importance of coordination with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. He said, "I ask you to work well in harmony with the Prosecutor General, and especially to listen broadly to the voices within the prosecution, including young prosecutors, female prosecutors, and those in the criminal and trial divisions who have been relatively marginalized."

President Moon emphasized, "It is a very difficult task, but in a way, it may be a historically rare opportunity. If it succeeds properly, I believe it will be a great source of pride both personally and nationally."

It was reported that there was much applause from Blue House aides during the appointment ceremony. Minister Chu said, "I believe the words given by the President are what the people living in this era desire and command."

Minister Chu explained, "A master doctor is not one who repeatedly stabs a patient with a surgical knife to remove the cause of disease, but one who accurately diagnoses and precisely removes the diseased area. Similarly, the prosecution does not gain trust by recklessly stabbing to achieve desired results just because it has investigative and prosecutorial authority. The prosecution’s fundamental role is to respect human rights while accurately diagnosing crimes and ensuring punishment."

In this regard, a senior Blue House official said, "Minister Chu’s reference to a master doctor means that the prosecution should become a master doctor."

Minister Chu pledged, "We will strive to become a competent prosecution organization that regains the trust of the people. We will do our best to support the laws so that the public’s wishes, including the establishment of the CIO to eradicate corruption among high-ranking officials and the decentralization of concentrated prosecutorial power to advance democracy, can be realized and take root in our society as soon as possible. I will do my utmost to ensure that this once-in-a-lifetime reform opportunity does not slip away in vain."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.