Cho Kuk Criticizes Prosecution: "As the Prosecution Dragon Rises... Korea Is Not a Prosecutorial Nation of the East"

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Kim Bongju] Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk criticized the prosecution, stating, "By selectively using the investigative independence that has been gradually secured since political democratization, the prosecution has become a powerful 'living authority' and is now acting as such."

On November 5, through social networking services (SNS), Cho said, "Some political parties, the media, and certain individuals are loudly chanting the 'prosecution anthem'," and added, "As the Dragon of the Prosecution rises in the East, every action brings heavenly blessings; the ancient prosecutors are in harmony, and a deeply rooted organization does not sway in the wind, so the flowers are beautiful and the fruits are plentiful." This is a parody of "Yongbieocheonga" (Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven), an epic poem written during the reign of King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty.

He continued, "The prosecution wields the dual swords of investigative and prosecutorial powers, even confronting the personnel and inspection authority of the president and the Minister of Justice." He pointed out, "In particular, there is strong resistance to progressive governments that seek prosecutorial reform and sever deals with the prosecution."

Photo by Facebook capture of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.

He added, "Even after the abolition of the 'principle of prosecutorial unity' in December 2013, a significant number of prosecutors still adhere to this ingrained principle and defend the organization."

Cho Kuk emphasized, "The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic. Korea is neither the 'Country of the Prosecution of the East Sea' nor the 'Prosecutorial Nation of the East.' The notion of 'the prosecution alone reigns supreme' no longer holds."

He further wrote, "The prosecution is neither the institution that defines justice nor the one that monopolizes it. If it becomes so, the 'prosecutorial fascism' that legislators feared during the enactment of the Criminal Procedure Act in 1954 will come to pass."

He also stressed the necessity of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, saying, "Both prosecutorial power and the 'flowers' and 'fruits' enjoyed by current and former members of the organization must be strictly controlled."

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