Autumn-Yoon Clash over 'Investigation-Prosecution Separation Plan'... Key Point at Prosecutors' Meeting on 21st

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae Attends Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office New Building Completion Ceremony on 17th
Presides Over 'National Prosecutors' Meeting' on 21st
Turning Point in 'Ministry of Justice-Prosecution' Conflict

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] 'Promotion' and 'Opposition.' The Ministry of Justice and the prosecution are expected to clash strongly again this week over the proposal to separate investigation and prosecution. The nationwide prosecutors' chiefs meeting, chaired by the Minister of Justice on the 21st, will be a turning point. Prior to this, on the 17th, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae visited the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office and had lunch with related personnel. This was the first face-to-face meeting between Minister Choo and internal prosecution officials since Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl expressed a principled opposition to the 'separation of investigation and prosecution.' Although the lunch was held privately, judging by the attendees, it is highly likely that frontline prosecutors added their opinions to Prosecutor General Yoon's opposition remarks, and Minister Choo countered them.

On that day, Minister Choo attended the completion ceremony of the new Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office building at 10 a.m. and then had lunch with Jeonju prosecutors. In the afternoon, she visited the Jeonju Juvenile Detention Center. Both the events and visits were held privately. The lunch was attended by Noh Jeong-yeon, the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office Chief, classified as part of the 'Yoon Seok-youl line,' and Kim Woo-seok, Chief of the Jeongeup Branch of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office, who publicly opposed Minister Choo's stance on case command authority. Therefore, there is speculation that some mention of the series of Ministry of Justice-led prosecution reform proposals was made in some form during the lunch.

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is stepping onto the podium to deliver a greeting at the nationwide district prosecutors' offices chiefs and election affairs deputy chiefs meeting held at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Meanwhile, the nationwide prosecutors' chiefs meeting held at the Government Complex Gwacheon from 10 a.m. on the 21st is regarded as an important turning point to gauge the direction of the conflict between the two institutions. The meeting will collect opinions from prosecutors' chiefs on the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution and the enactment of subordinate laws related to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office Act, as well as listen to opinions on a decentralized criminal justice system and improvements in prosecution investigative practices and organizational culture.

Although not an official agenda item, the increasingly controversial proposal to separate investigation and prosecution is also expected to be addressed in some manner. Given that many within the prosecution hold a skeptical view of the separation proposal, if Minister Choo reiterates her intention to push it through or directly criticizes Prosecutor General Yoon's earlier 'opposition opinion,' the conflict is expected to deepen further.

Prosecutor General Yoon will not attend this meeting. There is analysis that Yoon's absence is a way to express opposition to the separation proposal. It is unprecedented for the prosecutors' chiefs meeting to be held without the Prosecutor General. On the 13th, during a private meeting held when he visited the Busan High Prosecutors' Office and District Prosecutors' Office, Yoon emphasized, "Investigation is a process of preparing for criminal litigation, so investigation serves prosecution," and "Investigation and prosecution inevitably become one entity." This was interpreted as a veiled criticism of Minister Choo's separation proposal.

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