Prosecutor General Yoon: "Striving to Be the People's Prosecution, Upholding Constitutional Values and Political Neutrality"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] After arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol told frontline prosecutors, "Let us all work together to uphold constitutional values and political neutrality and become the people's prosecution through fair and equal enforcement of criminal law." This message came immediately after he returned to work following the court's injunction against the suspension order.

On the 1st, Prosecutor General Yoon conveyed this message in a letter titled "A Message to Prosecutors Nationwide," stating, "I believe you have experienced much confusion and concern due to my suspension and other issues. I will be a strong support for your righteous passion."

Yoon mentioned, "Thanks to your enthusiasm to protect the prosecution's political neutrality and the rule of law, and the court's prompt injunction decision, I have returned to my duties." Yoon's return came just one week after Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae issued the suspension order.

Yoon urged efforts to become the "people's prosecution." He emphasized, "The enforcement of newly enacted and revised criminal justice laws is just one month away. Since significant changes in criminal procedures are expected, we must prepare thoroughly to ensure that the public experiences no inconvenience when using the criminal justice system." He continued, "Let us all strive to uphold constitutional values and political neutrality and become the 'people's prosecution' through fair and equal enforcement of criminal law."

Meanwhile, the Administrative Division 4 of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Cho Mi-yeon) partially accepted Yoon's injunction request against Minister Choo's suspension order. Earlier, on the 24th of last month, Minister Choo detected six allegations of misconduct, including "illegal surveillance of the judiciary," during the Ministry of Justice's inspection, filed disciplinary charges against Prosecutor General Yoon, and suspended his duties. This was an unprecedented event in constitutional history where a sitting Prosecutor General was suspended.

In response, Yoon filed an injunction request against the suspension order with the court the next day. The court held a hearing the day before, listening to both parties' opinions. The hearing started around 11 a.m. and concluded about an hour later at 12:10 p.m., but the court continued reviewing related records and ultimately decided to grant Yoon's injunction request that day. However, the court's decision is limited in effect until the Ministry of Justice's disciplinary committee makes a disciplinary decision. If the committee decides on severe disciplinary actions such as dismissal or removal, Yoon will lose his position again.

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