Ministry of Justice Prosecutor General Officially Apologizes Over Backlash Against 'Organizational Restructuring Plan'

"Accepting Sharp Rebuke Humbly"... "Changes in Prosecution Work System Require Time for Review"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] As the Ministry of Justice faced growing internal opposition within the prosecution over its plan to abolish four deputy chief prosecutor-level positions at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the ministry's head of the prosecution division officially issued an apology.

On the 13th, Kim Tae-hoon (49, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 30), head of the Ministry of Justice's prosecution division, stated through the prosecution internal network 'Eprose' at around 12:54 a.m., "As the manager responsible for practical work, I sincerely apologize for causing concern among the members of the prosecution."

Earlier, the Ministry of Justice, in line with Minister Choo Mi-ae's policy to strengthen the criminal and trial divisions, requested opinions from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the organizational reform plan on the 11th. However, after the specific details were shared within the prosecution organization, critical voices poured in from frontline prosecutors and others.

Kim said, "I will humbly accept the sharp criticism regarding the opinion inquiry materials," adding, "I will gratefully and seriously consider the opinions given by frontline prosecutors and other members of the prosecution."

He continued, "The content related to the 'changes in the prosecution work system,' which became the center of controversy, was not reflected in this organizational reform plan," and added, "The main content currently being pushed for implementation through the Cabinet meeting in August concerns parts such as the reorganization of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

Kim explained, "Once the organizational reform plan, reflecting consultations with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and opinions from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, is finalized, we plan to request opinions again, including on the draft provisions." The Ministry of Justice's opinion inquiry materials include ▲abolition of deputy chief positions in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division (formerly the Special Investigation Division) and Public Investigation Division (formerly the Public Security Division), ▲restructuring of the criminal division's work system, and ▲strengthening and expanding the trial division's functions.

Earlier, Cha Ho-dong (41, class 38), a prosecutor at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, posted on Eprose criticizing the plan to strengthen and expand trial functions as "lacking any research or philosophical consideration," and Jung Yu-mi (48, class 30), head of the Criminal Division 2 at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, also posted critical comments regarding the Ministry of Justice's proposed 'changes in the prosecution work system.'

However, Kim explained, "The reason for including 'changes in the prosecution work system' stems from the serious nature and scale of the challenges ahead, leading to the need for a firm shift in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's functions and the central district prosecutors' system toward criminal and trial divisions." He added, "This is the starting point for the discussions to begin," and said, "It is a part that requires broad opinion gathering from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and frontline offices, simulations, and careful review over sufficient time."

Additionally, Kim addressed suspicions that the Ministry of Justice's Law and Prosecution Reform Committee was involved in preparing the organizational reform plan, stating in a comment, "There is no relation, and no opinions were shared."

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