Disappearing Supreme Prosecutors' Human Rights Division, After Emphasizing 'Human Rights Prosecution'...

One Year After President Moon's Directive, Reorganized as Deputy Chief Prosecutor-Level 'Human Rights Policy Officer'

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Controversy is arising over the Ministry of Justice's plan to abolish the Human Rights Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. The organization, established under the directive of President Moon Jae-in, is being dismantled after just one year, prompting discontent within the prosecution.

Reviewing the 'Prosecutorial Organization Restructuring Plan' that the Ministry of Justice will submit to the Cabinet meeting on the 25th, the Human Rights Department, previously headed by a chief prosecutor, will be reorganized into a 'Human Rights Policy Officer' system at the deputy chief prosecutor level.

In June 2018, President Moon instructed the establishment of an organization within the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to protect the human rights of those involved in cases. Subsequently, in July of the same year, the Ministry of Justice created the Supreme Prosecutors' Human Rights Department and expanded human rights supervisors at frontline offices to 12 locations.

Until now, the Supreme Prosecutors' Human Rights Department operated with three divisions under it: Human Rights Planning, Human Rights Supervision, and Victim Human Rights. It researched laws and systems related to human rights duties and broadly supervised whether there were any human rights violations during investigations. They also monitored whether there were issues in major direct investigations conducted by the prosecution.

However, with this restructuring, the Human Rights Department will be replaced by a 'Human Rights Policy Officer' under the deputy chief prosecutor. The structure will include Human Rights Planning Officer, Human Rights Supervision Officer, and Gender Equality Officer beneath it. The Ministry of Justice explains this as "an arrangement to comprehensively oversee all department and bureau tasks of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and effectively promote prosecution-related human rights policies," but considering that the Ministry initially intended to move the Human Rights Supervision Division to the Inspection Department, legal circles analyze that the scope of activities of the newly operated organization will certainly be reduced.

Some argue that the conflict between Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Han Dong-soo, head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Inspection Department, over the case of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook influenced the restructuring of the Human Rights Department. Previously, Prosecutor General Yoon tried to assign the inspection of cases such as the 'media collusion suspicion' and the 'perjury coaching suspicion involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook' to the Supreme Prosecutors' Human Rights Supervision Division, which drew opposition from the Inspection Department. Currently, the Inspection Department is led by Han Dong-soo, a former judge appointed by former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.

There is also an analysis that the current organizational restructuring differs from the recent situation where the government, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, and Prosecutor General Yoon all advocate for a 'human rights prosecution.' Earlier this month, Minister Choo stated at a meeting with new prosecutors, "To restore public trust in the prosecution, human rights must be prioritized while exercising prosecutorial power with restraint and balance." Prosecutor General Yoon also emphasized, "The two things I want to stress most to you are strict adherence to the principle of non-custodial investigation and reform of the investigation structure centered on trials," adding, "Guaranteeing the right to defense and restraint in detention are the essence of human rights-centered investigations."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice plans to submit this organizational restructuring plan as an agenda item at the Cabinet meeting on the 25th. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety requested the Ministry of Government Legislation to waive the 40-day legislative notice procedure, stating that "the prosecutorial organization restructuring plan is unrelated to the daily lives of the public," and the Ministry of Government Legislation accepted this. Accordingly, personnel appointments for mid-level executives at the deputy chief and chief prosecutor levels are also expected to be carried out consecutively.

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