Prosecutor Mid-Level Personnel Changes... Will Isolated Yoon Seok-yeol Make a Decision?

Ministry of Justice Executes Personnel Changes This Afternoon
Following Three Previous Rounds, Prosecutor General Yoon May Demote Close Aides Again

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 20th. As the Ministry of Justice's proposed prosecutorial organization reform and the recruitment of public positions and dispatched prosecutors related to personnel affairs have been completed, a mid-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle is expected to take place soon. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The personnel reshuffle of mid-level prosecutors such as deputy and chief prosecutors to be carried out by the Ministry of Justice on the afternoon of the 27th signifies a complete shift in the balance of power within the prosecution. With the continued preference for experience in criminal and trial divisions, the special investigation prosecutors who were favored after Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's appointment have lost their standing. Following the previous three rounds of personnel changes, Yoon, who is losing his close aides once again, finds himself in an increasingly isolated position. Attention is focused on whether Prosecutor General Yoon will make a separate statement regarding his position, unlike his previous silence.

The Ministry of Justice plans to implement the personnel changes for mid-level prosecutors and ordinary prosecutors effective September 3rd this afternoon. Originally scheduled for the morning, the reshuffle was postponed to the afternoon, leading to speculation that last-minute coordination difficulties might be occurring.

The policy of favoring experience in criminal and trial divisions, maintained since Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae took office, is expected to continue in this reshuffle. Minister Choo has accelerated prosecutorial reforms, strengthening the functions of criminal and trial divisions in line with the reorganization of the prosecution and the adjustment of investigative authority between the police and prosecution. Under this policy, special investigation prosecutors trusted by Prosecutor General Yoon have been excluded from key positions. Examples include Han Dong-hoon, former head of the Anti-Corruption and Violence Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Park Chan-ho, former head of the Public Investigation Division; Shin Ja-yong, former first deputy chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office; Shin Bong-soo, former second deputy chief; Song Kyung-ho, former third deputy chief; and Ko Hyung-gon, former head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

In this reshuffle, Kim Tae-eun, head of the Public Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Lee Jeong-seop, head of the Criminal Division 6 at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, are classified as transfer candidates. They are the last remaining members of the Yoon Seok-yeol faction who survived the previous reshuffle. These special investigation prosecutors have targeted figures within the current administration. Under Yoon's overall command, they prosecuted Song Cheol-ho, mayor of Ulsan; Cho Kuk, former Minister of Justice; and Yoo Jae-soo, former deputy mayor for economic affairs of Busan. Currently, they are participating in trials and focusing on maintaining prosecutions, but they are likely to be demoted in this reshuffle.

Their vacancies are expected to be filled by prosecutors with pro-government leanings from the criminal divisions. The position of chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecution office nationwide, was filled by Lee Seong-yoon, former head of the Ministry of Justice Inspection Bureau and a Kyung Hee University alumnus like President Moon Jae-in, instead of Bae Seong-beom, current head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute and a classmate of Prosecutor General Yoon. Subsequently, key positions have been occupied by prosecutors with pro-government tendencies and backgrounds in criminal divisions. There has been strong criticism that this amounts to "weakening Yoon Seok-yeol."

If the close aides favored by Prosecutor General Yoon are demoted again in this reshuffle, he is expected to face serious considerations about his future. Looking at precedents of past prosecutorial personnel changes, there has never been a case where the prosecutor general's close aides were cut down so extensively. A lawyer in Seocho-dong commented, "He has effectively become a figurehead prosecutor general; what meaning is there in holding the position?" Prosecutor General Yoon's term ends on July 24, 2021.

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