The Three Major Corruption Investigation Teams Retained, Leadership Likely to Change with Follow-up Personnel Moves

Abolition of 13 Prosecutor-Led Investigation Departments
Excluding Departments Suspected of Blue House Involvement
Criticism of 'Investigation Obstruction Intent' After Senior Prosecutor Personnel Changes
Ministry of Justice Analyzes Public Opinion
Possible Team Disbandment if Leadership Changes During Mid-Level Personnel Moves Around 22-23
Seoul Central District Prosecutors 1st, 2nd, 3rd Deputy Chiefs Top Replacement Candidates
Public Investigation 2nd Division Chief Also Mentioned
Mass Transfer Expected of 'Yoon Seok-yeol Line'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice is facing a flood of criticism that it is trying to obstruct investigations into the current administration by halving the number of direct investigation departments within the prosecution through an organizational restructuring. However, the departments investigating the three major scandals of the administration (Cho Kuk, Yoo Jae-soo, and the Ulsan mayor) will retain their names in this restructuring. This naturally draws attention to the intentions of the Ministry of Justice.

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 14th, 13 departments responsible for direct investigations within the prosecution will be abolished under the proposed restructuring plan. Among these, departments investigating cases suspected to be linked to the Blue House have been excluded from abolition. These include the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2, which is looking into corruption allegations against former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and his family; the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Public Investigation Division 2, which is investigating allegations of the Blue House's interference in the Ulsan local elections and ordered investigations; and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 6, which is probing the allegations of halted inspection into Yoo Jae-soo.

There is a persuasive analysis that the Ministry of Justice took public criticism into account with this measure. The Ministry has faced criticism for allegedly obstructing investigations following the high-level personnel reshuffle in the prosecution on the 8th. Abolishing the three departments investigating the administration amid this would only add fuel to the fire of criticism both inside and outside the prosecution. It could also damage the momentum for the mid-level personnel reshuffle expected around the Lunar New Year.

In other words, by deciding to keep these investigation teams, the Ministry of Justice appears to have secured a foothold for subsequent personnel changes in the administration investigation teams. If the restructuring proceeds as planned, prosecutors who have held their posts for less than a year could be transferred. Article 11 of the Prosecutor Personnel Regulations stipulates a mandatory one-year period for holding a post, but as an exception, if the prosecution's organizational structure is reorganized or there are changes in the system or personnel, the Minister of Justice may carry out personnel changes without considering the one-year mandatory period.

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is heading to the reception room to greet Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae seems to have considered this regulation initially to put a 'wedge' in the follow-up personnel changes. The upcoming mid-level personnel reshuffle for deputy chiefs and division chiefs is highly likely to hinder investigations into the administration. For example, the three deputy chiefs of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office are emerging as top candidates for replacement. First Deputy Chief Shin Ja-yong led the investigation into preferential loans at Wooridul Hospital, Second Deputy Chief Shin Bong-soo is investigating the Blue House's interference in the Ulsan local elections, and Third Deputy Chief Song Kyung-ho led the investigation into corruption involving former Minister Cho Kuk and his family. These three are classified as special prosecutors from the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction' who secured their positions after Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol took office. They could follow the path of Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Busan High Prosecutors' Office (former head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Jeju District Prosecutors' Office (former head of the Public Investigation Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office), and Bae Seong-beom, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (former Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office), who were demoted in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office staff.

The positions of the deputy chief prosecutors under the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd deputy chiefs are also precarious. These include Kim Tae-eun, head of Public Investigation Division 2 investigating the Ulsan mayor election interference case; Lee Jeong-seop, head of Criminal Division 6 at Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office handling the Yoo Jae-soo inspection halt allegations; and Park Seung-dae, head of Criminal Division 3 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in charge of the Wooridul Hospital loan suspicion case.

If the restructuring plan is approved at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for the 21st, it will be implemented immediately. The follow-up personnel changes for mid-level prosecutors are expected to take place between the 22nd and 23rd. For the prosecution, how they spend the remaining week has become crucial. There is also a possibility that the prosecution's investigation into the administration will accelerate before the investigation teams are dismantled.

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