[Comprehensive] "Lack of Caution is Regrettable" vs "Enduring Because It's Chu" - Even the Ruling Party Divided Over 'Choo Mi-ae Style'

Disagreement Over Minister Chu's Work Approach
Lee Nak-yeon Says "Style Issue... Must Be Careful"
Jung Cheong-rae: "Anyone Would Have Been Attacked in That Position"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is attending the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 16th, responding to questions from lawmakers. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Evaluations of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, who continues to make outspoken remarks including heated exchanges with opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly, are divided even within the ruling party. While some express fatigue, suggesting that "Minister Choo needs to be more cautious," others defend her, saying, "Thanks to Minister Choo, prosecutorial reform can gain momentum."

On the morning of the 17th, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on the conflict between Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl at a Kwanhun Club invitation debate held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. He said, "This incident arose during the process of prosecutorial reform," and added, "It is very regrettable that it appears as if it is a fight between the two."

He continued, "It is very unfortunate that Prosecutor General Yoon is being accused of political bias and abuse of prosecutorial power," and explained, "In Minister Choo's case, I think the criticism is more about her style."

He also pointed out, "Not everything Minister Choo does is right," but added, "I think it was inevitable that some people should be removed from the investigation line. The main issue with Minister Choo was her style." This suggests that while the three times she exercised her investigative directive authority were unavoidable, there is fatigue regarding her usual remarks and the way she carries out her duties.

Regarding the 'bill to forcibly unlock mobile phone passwords' that Minister Choo instructed the Ministry of Justice to review, he said, "It should be done cautiously," and pointed out, "There is the right to remain silent and the right to defense, so forcing the password to be opened is a significant issue that could infringe upon these rights."

Lee Nak-yeon, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Kwanhoon Debate held at the Seoul Press Center on the morning of the 17th and delivering a keynote speech. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier on the 16th, some ruling party lawmakers also pointed out that Minister Choo's actions were somewhat excessive. On that day, Park Sung-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said in a radio interview, "What Minister Choo is asserting is somewhat excessive," and added, "There are limits that should not be crossed, such as constitutional values."

On the other hand, some within the party countered that Minister Choo's attitude is actually the driving force to complete prosecutorial reform.

On the 17th, Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae said in an interview with tbs radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' "There are very few people who could survive such concentrated media attacks (other than Minister Choo)," and argued, "The issues with Justice Minister Choo are merely peripheral, and when the prosecutorial reform phase is over, it will be evaluated that it was Choo Mi-ae who completed the reform."

He added, "In a situation where 'Let's do prosecutorial reform' and 'Let's block it' are clashing, whoever was in the position of Minister of Justice would have been attacked," emphasizing, "This is not a problem of Choo Mi-ae's character."

On the previous day, Jung also defended Minister Choo in a post on his Facebook, saying, "Attacking Minister Choo is like the criticism in Queen Victoria's era 200 years ago asking, 'Why try to make automobiles?'" and stated, "New things come with unfamiliarity, and new laws and systems face resistance. Minister Choo Mi-ae is the person facing the strong winds of that resistance with her whole body."

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the 12th, Minister Choo engaged in a heated exchange with People Power Party lawmakers over the issue of special activity expenses (special activity funds) for prosecutors during the plenary session of the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee.

On that day, when Park Hyung-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker, pointed out to Minister Choo, "I heard that some of the Ministry of Justice's special activity funds were uniformly paid as employee incentives," Minister Choo interrupted Park's question and started speaking. Park said, "The question is not finished yet," and Jung Sung-ho, chairman of the National Assembly Budget Committee, cautioned Minister Choo, saying, "Please listen to the entire question before answering."

However, Minister Choo also interrupted Chairman Jung and urged, "Please stop insulting or baseless remarks." In response, Chairman Jung raised his voice, saying, "Please keep it reasonable," and added, "There were no insulting questions. Please cooperate."

Later, on the 14th, Minister Choo posted a lengthy letter addressed to Chairman Jung on Facebook.

In this letter, Minister Choo wrote, "If the repeated shouting questions at the minister without giving a chance to respond and the intimidation and insults do not change, the public watching will feel discomfort and political disgust," and pointed out, "Instead of proper verification and inspection, the person in charge was set up and questioned 11 times without any basis, demanding to reveal that the Ministry of Justice (Prosecutor's Office) director shared 500,000 won each."

She then requested, "There may be misunderstandings, but please accept this generously, thinking that it is all due to the earnest desire for reform."

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