'Choo Line' Cho Nam-gwan, Deputy Prosecutor General: "Minister, Please Step Back One Step"

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Cho Namgwan, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, expressed a position asking Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae to take a step back for the greater cause of prosecutorial reform. He requested the withdrawal of the suspension order on Prosecutor General Yoon's duties.

According to the legal community on the 30th, Deputy Cho posted a message titled "A Letter to the Minister" on the internal prosecution communication network Epros this morning, asking, "Minister, please take a step back for the greater cause of prosecutorial reform."

Deputy Cho said, "As I stated on my first day as acting Prosecutor General, to quickly unite the divided prosecution organization under the cause of prosecutorial reform, I cannot remain silent as acting Prosecutor General regarding the prosecutors' requests. I regret having to write to you like this, Minister," expressing his position.

Deputy Cho argued, "To complete the task of prosecutorial reform, which is your historic mission, it cannot be achieved solely through organizational restructuring and personnel changes such as revising the Criminal Procedure Act, the Prosecutors' Office Act, related enforcement decrees and regulations, or strengthening the criminal and trial divisions of the prosecution." He continued, "Prosecutorial reform is ineffective without winning the hearts of the entire prosecution members, including about 2,100 prosecutors and 8,000 investigators and clerks," emphasizing, "If prosecution members are treated only as objects of reform, no matter how good the laws and systems are, they will be empty words."

He particularly pointed out, "If this measure proceeds as is, it will not only fail to win the hearts of the prosecution members but will rather result in hostility," adding, "The prosecutorial reform, which the Moon Jae-in administration has pursued as its top national agenda, risks losing both its momentum and substance, leading to a critical crisis where it could all be in vain."

He further stated, "There may be differing opinions on procedural violations or the factual certainty regarding your recent measure, Minister, but the majority of prosecutors, including myself, are convinced that the Prosecutor General did not commit any serious misconduct or crime warranting disgraceful dismissal before completing his term," emphasizing his stance.

He said, "Today, the court will hold a hearing on the suspension of the Prosecutor General's duties, and the disciplinary committee at the Ministry of Justice will convene the day after tomorrow," urging, "It is not too late even now. Please make the decision to withdraw this measure to realize the dream of prosecutorial reform."

Meanwhile, the hearing on the suspension order's enforcement suspension regarding Prosecutor General Yoon is being held today at the Seoul Administrative Court. Depending on the court's decision, either Minister Choo or Prosecutor General Yoon is expected to suffer a critical blow, so both sides are likely to make every effort to persuade the court.

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