Cheong, Response to 'Choo Mi-ae Dismissal' National Petition: "No Favoritism in Ministry of Justice Personnel"

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The Blue House responded on the 11th to a public petition demanding the dismissal of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who criticized the recent prosecution personnel appointments as unfair, stating, "The appointments were made by fairly evaluating abilities, qualifications, and work performance, and were not preferential personnel moves based on specific tendencies or personal connections."

Kang Jung-soo, head of the Blue House Digital Communication Center, stated in the petition response released through the Blue House website on the same day, "The Ministry of Justice maintained the current investigation teams for ongoing cases to ensure that existing investigation and trial work would not be disrupted." This reaffirmed the existing position that the personnel appointments made by Minister Choo after taking office do not constitute grounds for dismissal and that the appointments support prosecution reform.

The petition, raised on the 3rd of last month, garnered approximately 335,000 signatures over a month. The petitioner criticized the recent prosecutor appointments, claiming, "There were issues such as ignoring the usual personnel cycle, omitting the Prosecutor General's opinion before appointments, replacing all investigators related to key figures of the administration, and substituting decision-makers in investigations such as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office with pro-government figures, thereby undermining the political neutrality of the prosecution."

Regarding this, Center Chief Kang explained, "As mentioned earlier, this appointment was an exception to the personnel cycle due to organizational restructuring, which underwent deliberation by the Prosecution Personnel Committee, and Minister of Justice Choo sufficiently provided the Prosecutor General with the opportunity to submit opinions."

He also said, "The petitioner's request for 'separation of the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution and the establishment of the prosecution as an independent organization' requires amendments to the Constitution and related laws, so careful consideration is necessary."

However, he added, "The Ministry of Justice humbly accepts the petitioner's remarks raised during this prosecution personnel appointment process," and "We will keep this in mind and strive to ensure that prosecutor appointments are made based on more fair and objective criteria."

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