[Column] Prosecutors' 'Coming Out'

Seokjin Choi, Head of the Legal Affairs Team

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Prosecutors are generally ambitious and sensitive to personnel matters.

They also share the characteristic of being extremely reluctant to reveal their political inclinations or opinions externally.

Prosecutors remained silent even when Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae wielded personnel authority to divide prosecutors into 'your side and my side,' when the Prosecutor General's investigative command authority was stripped, and when she ordered inspections and investigations by dredging up cases closed years ago.

Nowadays, there is a widespread belief in the prosecutor community that "if you get targeted by the (regime), you will be immediately demoted." Unless a prosecutor is about to resign and open a law firm, it is not as easy as it sounds to openly criticize the Minister of Justice by name in these times.

What does it mean that by the morning of the 2nd, over 270 prosecutors?more than one in ten?have come out? The prosecutors' coming-out march expresses concern that "politics is overshadowing the prosecution, leaving a bad precedent in judicial history."

"I disagree with your opinion. However, if you are persecuted because of that opinion, I will fight to the end for your freedom of speech." "I do not oppose prosecutorial reform. But I clearly oppose the current situation where expressing an opinion leads to being outed. I will come out."

These voices from prosecutors should not be dismissed as "resistance to reform." Prosecutors are now questioning, "Is this really reform?" and "Could this be political power's control over the prosecution disguised as reform?"

President Moon Jae-in and Minister Choo should listen to the prosecutors' outcry, understand why there is such backlash, and review and reconsider the policies and measures implemented so far.

Recently, at a National Assembly audit, a ruling party lawmaker even questioned, "Why are prosecutors quasi-judicial bodies?" Prosecutors are called quasi-judicial bodies not because they are superior, but because each individual prosecutor is granted and exercises judicial authority as an independent agency to determine whether a suspect's actions legally constitute a crime and to bring the case to trial.

Therefore, the words and actions of the Minister of Justice, who exercises investigative command authority over such prosecution, must be extremely cautious. Both Minister Choo and former Minister Cho Kuk should refrain from posting on social media about investigations or trials, as celebrities or politicians do.

Minister Choo should reflect on why she secured first place with 37.0% in a recent public opinion poll asking which Cabinet member needs replacement, comfortably outpacing Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi (13.3%)?who drew public outrage due to successive real estate policy failures?by nearly three times the votes.

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