Baek Hyeryun "Non-prosecutor appointed as Director of the Prosecutor's Office? Side effects expected... Speed adjustment needed"

Democratic Party lawmaker Baek Hye-ryun recently expressed her views regarding the Ministry of Justice's consideration of appointing a non-prosecutor as the head of the Criminal Affairs Bureau.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Baek Hyeryun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former prosecutor, recently commented on the Ministry of Justice's consideration of appointing a non-prosecutor as the head of the Prosecutor's Office, saying, "I agree with it in the long term, but time is needed."

On the 7th, Baek appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show" and said, "The Prosecutor Reform Committee has proposed appointing a non-prosecutor as the head of the Prosecutor's Office, and the Ministry of Justice basically agrees with this. I think it is necessary for the Ministry of Justice to play a role in checking the prosecution, but implementing it immediately in the current situation could have side effects."

She continued, "The Prosecutor's Office, which manages personnel and budget for prosecutors, would be led by someone who does not know the prosecution at all. If an objective evaluation system for the organizational status of the prosecution and prosecutors is not properly established, there will be side effects. I think some time is needed," she emphasized.

Regarding concerns that appointing an outsider through a special recruitment process rather than a public competition could set a bad precedent, she responded, "If they intend to appoint a non-prosecutor as the head of the Prosecutor's Office, I believe it is appropriate to start by revising the enforcement decree."

On the potential side effects of abolishing the 'investigation command authority,' she said, "I think this view is based on a dichotomy that the prosecution is a good institution and the police are a bad institution. The police, as a national agency, have undergone much training over time, and I believe this concern is unfounded."

She added, "The cases where the police have the authority to conclude investigations are very few. When the police conclude an investigation, all records go to the prosecution, which can review them for 90 days, which is a sufficient period. If no action is taken after reviewing problematic records, that would be dereliction of duty," she added.

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