Yoon Seok-yeol Heads to Gwangju This Time... Will Another Message Follow Busan?

Yoon Seok-yeol Visits Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office and District Prosecutors' Office on 20th
Yoon's Remarks at Private Meeting Draw Attention
Ministry of Justice Postpones 'National Chief Prosecutors Meeting' Due to COVID-19
Unlikely to Be Held Soon

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

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyung-min and Song Seung-yoon] Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who clearly expressed opposition to the Ministry of Justice's prosecution reform plan with the statement "investigation and prosecution are one entity," has embarked on his second provincial inspection tour. Attention is focused on whether he will raise the intensity of his remarks during his first visit to Busan. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice abruptly postponed the nationwide chief prosecutors' meeting scheduled for the 21st. Although the reason given was the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), it also appears to be an intention to 'adjust the pace' in consideration of the growing backlash within the prosecution. Considering this move by the Ministry of Justice, Prosecutor General Yoon may choose a 'ceasefire mode' during his second visit to Gwangju.

On the afternoon of the 20th, Prosecutor General Yoon will visit the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office and Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office. He will meet and have informal talks with frontline chief prosecutors, including Park Sung-jin, head of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office, Moon Chan-seok, head of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, as well as Park Chan-ho, head of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, and Noh Jeong-yeon, head of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office. Afterwards, he will hold a private meeting and dinner with frontline prosecutors. The content of the message he delivers at this gathering is attracting public attention.

The Ministry of Justice has newly revealed that it is considering introducing the 'General Prosecution Review Officer' system as one of the measures to separate investigation and prosecution. This involves establishing a separate General Prosecution Review Officer to advise on prosecutions and provide deliberative opinions. The Ministry of Justice believes this can serve as a check on investigative prosecutors. This system is similar to Japan's 'General Prosecution Deliberation Officer.' Prosecutor General Yoon may express his views on this matter in Gwangju.

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is leaving the Memorial Tower after paying respects at the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

Prosecutor General Yoon is also considering visiting Daegu or Daejeon next week. Notably, frontline prosecutors in Daegu have drawn attention by posting consecutive articles on the prosecution's internal network 'Eprose,' raising issues with the proposal to separate investigation and prosecution. However, considering the spread of COVID-19 in the Daegu area, he may choose Daejeon instead of Daegu.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice announced the day before that it would postpone the nationwide chief prosecutors' meeting scheduled for the 21st. Originally, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae intended to hear the opinions of chief prosecutors on matters such as the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution, the enactment of subordinate laws related to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office Act, the decentralized criminal justice system, and the improvement of prosecutorial investigative practices and organizational culture. Although the Ministry of Justice cited the response to COVID-19 as the reason for the sudden postponement, there is also analysis suggesting it was in consideration of the ongoing internal backlash within the prosecution over several days.

The Ministry of Justice has stated that it will reschedule the chief prosecutors' meeting once the COVID-19 situation enters a lull phase. However, given the ongoing surge in confirmed cases, it appears practically difficult for the meeting to be held in the near future.

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