'Ministry of Justice-Prosecutors' Exchange of Opinions Procedure Sparks 'Rebuttal and Counter-Rebuttal' Dispute

Ministry of Justice "Schedule Was Announced in Advance"
Prosecution "Yoon Chief Called 30 Minutes Before Personnel Committee"
Rebuttals and Counter-Rebuttals Delay Personnel Announcement Timing

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The prosecution and the Ministry of Justice are engaged in sharp exchanges of rebuttals and counter-rebuttals over the 'opinion hearing' procedure for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Ministry of Justice convened the Prosecution Personnel Committee at the Government Gwacheon Complex from 11 a.m. and discussed the promotion and transfer of senior prosecution officials for over two hours. Although the meeting ended around 2 p.m., the Ministry of Justice has yet to go through the opinion hearing procedure with Prosecutor General Yoon, so the final decision on the personnel proposal has not been made.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice is conducting the procedure to hear opinions related to personnel from Prosecutor General Yoon simultaneously with the convening of the Personnel Committee. According to the Prosecutors' Office Act, the Minister of Justice must hear the opinion of the Prosecutor General when making personnel decisions and propose the appointments of prosecutors.

However, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is resisting, saying it cannot provide opinions without even seeing the personnel list. In particular, as both sides engage in verbal disputes over the opinion hearing procedure for Prosecutor General Yoon, the situation is turning into a battle over the truth.

As the Ministry of Justice's prosecution personnel reshuffle approaches and the possibility of 'passing over the Prosecutor General' arises, the Ministry of Justice took the initiative first. The Ministry of Justice sent a message to the press corps saying, "The Minister of Justice has notified Prosecutor General Yoon of the schedule to meet face-to-face and directly hear his opinion," adding, "Minister Choo has canceled other schedules and is proceeding with the personnel procedure until the proposal is made." This can be interpreted as the personnel work being delayed because the Supreme Prosecutors' Office did not respond despite the schedule being notified.

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is heading to the cafeteria for lunch on the 6th at the main building of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the other hand, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office countered by saying, "The Ministry of Justice called Prosecutor General Yoon 30 minutes before convening the Personnel Committee," rejecting the Ministry of Justice's claim.

According to the prosecution, the Ministry of Justice requested Prosecutor General Yoon right after the meeting between Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon the previous day, saying, "The prosecution side should first create the personnel proposal and send it by the morning."

In response, Prosecutor General Yoon said, "The Ministry of Justice's Prosecution Bureau, which is in charge of prosecutor personnel, should first prepare the personnel proposal, and based on that, the Minister of Justice should meet the Prosecutor General to hear opinions. After the personnel consultation is completed, the proposal should be made to the President, which aligns with laws and procedures." He added, "If the Ministry of Justice sends the personnel proposal they are preparing first, I will review it and provide my opinion." However, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office explained that the Ministry of Justice refused face-to-face consultations between Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon and also rejected presenting the personnel proposal, citing that the Ministry of Justice had not prepared the proposal.

Eventually, the Ministry of Justice notified the Supreme Prosecutors' Office 30 minutes before the Personnel Committee was held that it would hear Prosecutor General Yoon's opinion on the personnel proposal at the Ministry of Justice building. Initially, the Ministry of Justice planned to send Prosecutor Jinjae-seon from the Prosecution Bureau to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in the morning to deliver the personnel list to Prosecutor General Yoon, but changed the plan and only sent a work communication requesting opinions on the personnel by 4 p.m. that day. However, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office refused this request, saying it cannot provide opinions without even seeing the personnel list.

A Supreme Prosecutors' Office official explained, "The Ministry of Justice called Prosecutor General Yoon 30 minutes before convening the Personnel Committee at 11 a.m. today," adding, "However, there was concern it would be a mere formality, and considering past precedents where the Supreme Prosecutors' Office received the personnel proposal from the Ministry of Justice and then provided opinions, we requested the Ministry of Justice to send the personnel proposal first."

The official added, "Until now, the Ministry of Justice has not informed the Supreme Prosecutors' Office at all about the timing, scope, or targets of the personnel reshuffle. Under these circumstances, it is fundamentally impossible for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to create the personnel proposal first."

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is arriving at the Ministry of Justice, Gyeonggi Government Gwacheon Complex, on the 6th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Following the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's rebuttal, the Ministry of Justice once again countered, denying that it had requested the prosecution to create the personnel proposal first and send it to the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice sent another message to the press corps, stating, "Minister Choo had notified Prosecutor General Yoon from 9:30 a.m. to meet and hear his opinions directly for an hour, separate from the work communication requesting opinion submission today," explaining, "Considering that the personnel proposal is confidential material, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's request to deliver opinions face-to-face to Minister Choo, and the possibility that the personnel subject might visit the Supreme Prosecutors' Office with the personnel proposal, it was decided to hear opinions directly face-to-face."

It continued, "The Supreme Prosecutors' Office requested that the personnel proposal be delivered to the Prosecutor General in advance and that the meeting be held at a third location," adding, "However, the Ministry of Justice conveyed again to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that there is no reason to conduct the opinion hearing procedure at a third location according to the law, and that Minister Choo has taken measures to hear Prosecutor General Yoon's opinions."

Furthermore, "Nevertheless, Prosecutor General Yoon did not arrive at the meeting time, and Minister Choo canceled other schedules and stayed at the Ministry of Justice to ensure that Prosecutor General Yoon could submit opinions on the prosecutor personnel proposal," it explained.

The Ministry of Justice reiterated, "The Minister of Justice is conducting the procedure to hear the Prosecutor General's opinions before exercising the personnel proposal right," and once again expressed the intention to have the Prosecutor General submit opinions on the prosecution personnel.

As both sides continue sharp disputes over procedural issues, there is a possibility that the announcement of personnel may be delayed beyond expectations. Typically, when the Personnel Committee is held, the personnel results are announced in the afternoon of the same day or at the latest the next day. The personnel results were expected to be announced as early as late afternoon on the day or at least on the 9th, but the announcement timing is likely to vary depending on when Prosecutor General Yoon's opinions are heard.

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