Choo Mi-ae "Shocked by Media's Headline Business" vs. Jin Joong-kwon "Ministry of Justice Has Long Become Choo's Private Organization"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is attending the plenary session held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae expressed displeasure over reports alleging that Shim Jae-cheol, Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice, gave special activity funds (special activity expenses) as encouragement money to frontline prosecutors, calling the so-called "money envelope" suspicion reports "severely distorted." In response, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon sarcastically remarked, "The Ministry of Justice has long since degenerated into Choo Mi-ae's private organization," and "If I do it, it's legal; if you do it, it's illegal."

On the 21st, Minister Choo posted on her SNS a screenshot of the report stating that Director Shim Jae-cheol gave 500,000 won each to deputy directors and chief prosecutors as encouragement money, saying, "The distortion in the newspaper's headline is severe. This morning's report by Chosun Ilbo is truly shocking."

She continued, "Those who understand the nature of the media call it 'headline business,'" adding, "If the intention is to attract readers' interest through the headline to increase subscription rates, I would understand it as an effort to stand out among numerous articles. However, this premise must be limited to cases without distortion," criticizing the report.

Earlier, Chosun Ilbo indirectly criticized Minister Choo with a report titled "'Yoon Seok-yeol Special Activity Funds' nitpicking... Choo Mi-ae's loyalists give money envelopes to executives [Exclusive]."

The report covered the fact that on the 14th of last month, Shim Jae-cheol, Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice, visited the Yongin branch of the Judicial Research and Training Institute and gave 500,000 won each as encouragement money to 24 deputy directors and chief prosecutors who participated as interviewers in the competency evaluation of new prosecutors.

Chosun Ilbo also compared this act to the "money envelope dinner" incident involving former Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Young-ryeol.

Minister Choo rebutted this by stating, "The Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice is a state official with guaranteed status. The Ministry of Justice is not the minister's private organization, and the Director of the Prosecutor's Office, who holds a position within the organizational structure, cannot be the minister's loyalist."

She added, "The Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice is responsible for guiding and supervising frontline budgets," emphasizing, "Naturally, recipients must use the special activity funds for their intended purpose, and these are subject to post-accounting audits and inspections."

She further stated, "Auditing the special activity funds of the Prosecutor General is a legitimate duty performed by the minister who has the authority to guide and supervise the budget," and criticized, "To boldly conclude this as nitpicking over the Prosecutor General's special activity funds is a very aggressive and emotional expression. I demand prompt correction."

Shim Jae-cheol, Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice, is responding to lawmakers' questions at the comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court, Board of Audit and Inspection, and others held by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 26th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

As the controversy grew, the Ministry of Justice also issued a statement to the press corps, clarifying that "the funds were not distributed as encouragement money but allocated and executed according to the budget's purpose."

The Ministry explained, "The Prosecutor's Office's prosecution division appointed frontline prosecutors last month as competency evaluation committee members for new prosecutors and conducted competency evaluation work related to new prosecutor selection over four days," adding, "To support investigative work and the selection process requiring confidentiality, the purpose was clearly specified, and the budget was allocated and executed legally following receipt of receipts and procedural guidelines."

They continued, "Most deputy directors and chief prosecutors who received the funds are known to have used and executed them according to the budget's intended purpose. The Director of the Prosecutor's Office did not visit the budget execution site nor directly distribute the funds," they said.

Furthermore, they pointed out, "Despite being executed normally according to standard budget execution procedures and methods, comparing this to the so-called 'money envelope dinner,' where funds were allegedly inappropriately handed over as encouragement money during a dinner gathering, is a distortion."

They added, "There have been allegations that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's special activity funds, executed arbitrarily without standards, are estimated to exceed 5 billion won this year alone. The Ministry of Justice has instructed the Prosecutor General three times to inspect and report on the use of special activity funds and plans to conduct strict and thorough inspections going forward."

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon is giving a special lecture on the topic of "The Age of Post-Truth" at the People's Future Forum seminar jointly hosted by Hwang Bo-seung-hee of the People Power Party and Kwon Eun-hee of the People's Party at the political culture platform cafe "House" in Yeouido, Seoul on the 20th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, former professor Jin shared the Chosun Ilbo report on his SNS on the 22nd and sarcastically remarked, "It is a well-known fact that the Ministry of Justice has long since degenerated into Choo Mi-ae's private organization."

Repeating Minister Choo's statement that "The Ministry of Justice is not the minister's private organization, and the Director of the Prosecutor's Office, who holds a position within the organizational structure, cannot be the minister's loyalist," Professor Jin began, "The motto of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea is internal double standards," adding, "If I do it, it's legal; if you do it, it's illegal."

He also pointed out, "If someone who was part of their own personnel hearing preparation team and, after inauguration, devoted all kinds of loyalty but was even told by junior prosecutors, 'Are you really a prosecutor?' cannot be considered a loyalist, then how extreme must Choo Mi-ae's loyalists be..."

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