Choo Mi-ae: "Prosecutor General Undermines Neutrality... Will Continue Supervision and Command"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae attended the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly on the 5th and was touching her hair during the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae once again criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "Because he continuously engages in words and actions that undermine his own neutrality, I must consistently exercise command and supervision." This came despite Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun's warning the previous day regarding the escalating conflict between Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon, stating, "If unnecessary controversies continue, I will not hesitate to fulfill my role as Prime Minister." Minister Choo launched another attack.

On the 5th, Minister Choo appeared before the National Assembly Judiciary Committee and said, "According to the Government Organization Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act, the Prosecutor General is a public official subject to the command and supervision of the Minister and must naturally maintain political neutrality."

In particular, Minister Choo added, "If the Prosecutor General engages in political speech or behavior, it loses the trust of half the people in judicial enforcement, so it is unacceptable," emphasizing, "This is not a matter of personal conflict."

Regarding the President's remark to Prosecutor General Yoon about "investigating the living power," she interpreted it as "meaning to strictly punish corruption or power-related crimes." Minister Choo cited past investigations into former President Lee Myung-bak as an example, stating, "At that time, the prosecution was colluding with the living power," and criticized, "It was not prosecution but a 'myeonchal' that gave a clean chit."

She also engaged in a heated exchange with People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong. When Lawmaker Yoon referred to Prime Minister Chung's remark the previous day that "high-ranking officials are required to have restraint and a reflective attitude" and urged her to reconsider, Minister Choo responded, "Yes. But the subject is missing?" When Lawmaker Yoon again brought up the case involving Minister Choo's son, she raised her voice, saying, "If you keep revisiting a case that was fully investigated and resulted in no charges, aren't you continuously insulting the Minister? Please stop."

Meanwhile, Minister Choo addressed allegations of forged certificates related to the children of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, stating, "Certificates related to the children of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs' admissions are not power-related corruption," and added, "Shaking the regime, attacking the government, and destroying the democratic system are ultimately undesirable, and before moving forward, there is a heavy responsibility to command and supervise to ensure the obligation of neutrality is upheld."

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