[Comprehensive] "Is it clueless..." vs "Undermining the rule of law" Yoon Seok-yeol's 'position pressure' sparks daily clashes between ruling and opposition parties

Woo Hee-jong "Yoon Seok-yeol, is he just clueless... What will he do now?" Pressure
Seol Hoon "If conflicts arise like this, stepping down is the best option"
United Party to propose amendment to Prosecutors' Office Act citing infringement on prosecutorial autonomy and independence

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is entering the Gwangju High and District Prosecutors' Office on the afternoon of February 20. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As voices from the ruling party leadership calling for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's resignation emerged for the first time, Professor Woo Hee-jong of Seoul National University, who served as co-representative of the Democratic Citizens' Party, said, "Whether it is a lack of tact or unnecessary pride, despite the obvious situation, Prosecutor General Yoon continues to escalate, so even politicians who usually calculate various factors seem unable to avoid saying, 'Please stop now.'"

Members of the United Future Party strongly opposed the ruling party's pressure on Prosecutor General Yoon's resignation, calling it a violation of the rule of law. The United Future Party plans to propose an amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, focusing on abolishing the Ministry of Justice Minister's authority to direct prosecution investigations. Additionally, United Future Party members criticized President Moon Jae-in, claiming that the independence and autonomy of the prosecution were infringed upon.

Professor Woo wrote on his Facebook on the 20th, "Last year, Seocho-dong and Yeouido in Seoul were heated," adding, "More than 7,000 professors and researchers signed petitions demanding prosecution reform, and millions of citizens gathered, filling the streets with denunciations against Prosecutor General Yoon, who resisted the president's will for prosecution reform."

He continued, "The ruling party's overwhelming majority in this general election was a public voice urging Prosecutor General Yoon to quickly decide his position," reiterating the pressure for Yoon's resignation.

Professor Woo also said, "I asked right after the general election, but I want to ask again," saying, "Prosecutor General Yoon, what will you do now?" and demanded, "Stand where you should stand."

Choi Kang-wook, Leader of the Open Democratic Party Photo by Yonhap News

◆ Seol Hoon, Park Ju-min, Kim Yong-min, Choi Kang-wook, and others consecutively pressure Prosecutor General Yoon to resign

On this day, Professor Woo linked to an article covering Seol Hoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, urging Prosecutor General Yoon to resign.

After the Supreme Council meeting on the 19th, Seol told reporters, "It's not just a day or two; how long has it been since Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae clashed with him? In such a situation, can the administration function properly?" He added, "Anyone responsible would resign; if it were me, I would step down."

Seol also said, "Regardless of the Prosecutor General's term guarantee, if conflicts like this arise with the Minister of Justice, stepping down is the best course."

In an interview with YTN Radio's 'Noh Young-hee's Start of the Morning,' Seol criticized, "It's an exaggeration to say Prosecutor General Yoon is hostile to the government, but it's a well-known fact that they have clashed. I thought he was being more cautious due to the mother-in-law case, but now he is clashing with the minister again, which is wrong." He also emphasized, "This conflict with the Minister of Justice must be resolved soon."

Following Seol, other Democratic Party leaders also criticized Prosecutor General Yoon. Park Ju-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, claimed in the meeting that "the reassignment of this case undermines the independence of the Inspection Department."

Furthermore, Representative Kim Yong-min pointed out on his Facebook, "Assigning the inspection case to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Human Rights Supervisor, an unofficial organization without legal basis, is an abuse of authority and an attempt by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to cover up the inspection."

He added, "This is not a conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution, but the core issue is that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office violated the law and disobeyed the legitimate orders of the Minister of Justice," and argued, "An investigation and appropriate measures regarding the inspection cover-up are necessary."

The Open Democratic Party, a pro-government party, also criticized the prosecution. Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, wrote on his Facebook, "The minister confirmed the obstruction of inspection and ordered the case to be returned to its original place," emphasizing, "Prosecutor General Yoon may stall and make excuses, but the water has already been spilled."

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju [Photo by Yonhap News]

◆ "Dismiss Prosecutor General Yoon with dignity" United Future Party 'boiling' over ruling party's pressure on Yoon's resignation

In response to the situation, on the 21st, the United Future Party criticized the ruling party's rising public pressure for Prosecutor General Yoon's resignation as a "violation of the constitutional value of separation of powers."

Won Hee-ryong, governor of Jeju Province and a member of the United Future Party, wrote on his Facebook, "The scenario to remove Yoon Seok-yeol is becoming visible," and criticized, "If that's the case, why do we need a Prosecutor General? The Minister of Justice can just be the 'Chief Prosecutor'."

Won added, "I already accept the ruling party's attack on Yoon Seok-yeol as the president's will," and urged President Moon Jae-in, "Honestly confess that the phrase 'investigate even the living power' was empty words, and dismiss Prosecutor General Yoon with dignity."

Representative Yoo Sang-beom issued a statement criticizing the conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution during the inspection of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's case, saying, "Minister Choo Mi-ae's orders infringed on the prosecution's independent inspection authority, violating the prosecution's autonomy and independence."

Yoo also emphasized, "The Democratic Party's use of the Ministry of Justice Minister's wrongful orders to pressure the Prosecutor General, whose term is guaranteed, to resign undermines the foundation of the rule of law and is absolutely unacceptable."

Representative Jo Soo-jin plans to lead the proposal of an amendment to the Prosecutors' Office Act, focusing on abolishing the Ministry of Justice Minister's authority to direct investigations, related to the controversy over Minister Choo's exercise of investigative authority in former Prime Minister Han's case.

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon Photo by Yonhap News

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized the ruling party's pressure on Prosecutor General Yoon's resignation on the 21st, calling it "a desire to destroy the separation of powers and control the country without checks and balances."

In a post on his Facebook that day, Jin said, "The core of prosecution reform is the independence of investigative agencies, but its purpose has been completely distorted," adding, "They want to control the executive branch, the legislative branch, and now, with that power, shake the judiciary."

Jin said, "The reason the FBI director's term in the U.S. is set to 10 years is to ensure independent investigations regardless of regime changes," and added, "Here, it's only two years, and even that seems too long for them to guarantee."

Jin noted, "When appointing Prosecutor General Yoon, the Democratic Party praised his integrity, while the United Future Party opposed the appointment fearing he would seek revenge after being sidelined for conducting independent investigations," and said, "Now, those evaluations have completely reversed, which means his sword is fair and neutral."

Jin criticized, "The government-aligned intellectual Woo Hee-jong speaks on behalf of those people, saying their landslide victory in the general election meant Prosecutor General Yoon should step down. That's nonsense," adding, "If you want to remove Prosecutor General Yoon so badly, honestly demand the president to remove him and take responsibility for the political consequences with dignity."

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