Kim Woong "A World Where Pet Prosecutors Prevail", Kim Nam-guk "Yoon Seok-yeol Chief Prosecutor's Spokesperson?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties clashed over the recent prosecution personnel appointments on the 7th. Kim Woong, a member of the Future United Party, criticized, "It has become a world where pet prosecutors are gaining power," while Kim Nam-guk of the Democratic Party of Korea rebutted, "Is Mr. Kim the spokesperson for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol? It was a legitimate personnel appointment."

On the 8th, Kim Woong of the United Party shared an article about the resignation of Moon Chan-seok, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, on his Facebook, pointing out, "Moon Chan-seok, the prosecutor who was called the Grim Reaper of Yeouido, is gone. It has become a world where pet prosecutors, whose only experience is being henchmen of the regime and caretakers of the regime’s mood, are gaining power."

He added, "Personally, the best time was when I worked with Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il and Chief Prosecutor Moon Chan-seok," emphasizing, "They had excellent judgment and leadership; in short, they were people who knew how to work."

He continued, "Prosecutor Moon was brave in the face of crime. Numerous investigative achievements testify to that," adding, "Even when pressured by personnel appointments, he was more concerned about the abolition of the Securities Crime Joint Investigation Unit than himself, saying financial fraud against ordinary people would increase. That concern has become a reality with the current private equity fund case." He also said, "Still, there are many prosecutors who do not cling to their positions and do not yield to the tyranny of power. Wolves do not eat pet food."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ruling party lawmakers collectively criticized Mr. Kim’s post.

Kim Nam-guk of the Democratic Party wrote on his Facebook, "Is Mr. Kim Woong the spokesperson for Prosecutor General Yoon?" and rebutted, "This personnel appointment respected the criminal and trial divisions without being biased toward elites from special investigation or public security divisions."

He continued, "A year ago, Yoon Seok-yeol’s close aides were evaluated to have completely monopolized key positions. Then this time, some consideration and concession were necessary," emphasizing, "I hope that through continued personnel appointments, the culture of a completely different privileged class and elite prosecutors within the prosecution will disappear."

He also added, "Even when criticizing, one should use dignified language and not cross the line. If there is something to criticize, please direct it at Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, the Blue House, or the ruling party," and "I hope no harsh words are ever said to frontline prosecutors who have devoted many years as public officials and have been promoted with difficulty."

Park Beom-gye of the Democratic Party also wrote on Facebook, "Wolves that do not eat pet food, during the Participatory Government era there was a lot of fuss about 'Musani' and 'Kal,' and now the animal theory is boiling," pointing out, "It is proof that prosecution reform is not yet complete." He then said, "An opposition party lawmaker who is a former prosecutor used this as a metaphor," emphasizing, "Let’s end the world where our prosecutors are compared to animals."

Meanwhile, Moon, the Chief Prosecutor who publicly criticized Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and a close aide of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, in February, expressed his intention to resign after being appointed as the Planning Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, a position classified as a sidelined post, in the personnel appointments on the 7th. After expressing his intention to resign, Moon wrote on the prosecution’s internal communication network ‘E-PROS’ that "It is worrisome and shameful to blatantly put prosecutors who receive biased evaluations as pro-government personnel or Choo Mi-ae prosecutors at the forefront." Moon also served as the head of the Future Planning and Criminal Policy Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office during the tenure of Moon Moo-il, the first Prosecutor General of the Moon Jae-in administration, and was in charge of adjusting investigative authority between the police and prosecution.

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