Seizing the Sword of the Prosecution Investigating the Regime

President Moon to likely enforce Yoon Seok-yeol's '2-month suspension' disciplinary action on the 16th
Yoon Seok-yeol protests, calling it an "illegal and unfair measure to oust a fixed-term Prosecutor General"... legal response anticipated
Prosecutors' Office launch countdown to neutralize opposition veto... possible transfer of key cases involving power-related corruption allegations

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is commuting to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, through the underground parking lot around 9 a.m. on the 16th, with his eyes closed in the back seat of a car. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The Moon Jae-in administration has made an unprecedented decision in constitutional history to discipline the Prosecutor General. On the 16th, President Moon is expected to approve and enforce a 'two-month suspension' disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. This comes about one year and five months after he was appointed, with the president referring to him as 'our Prosecutor General Yoon' when awarding the appointment letter in July last year. Prosecutor General Yoon strongly opposed the decision, calling it an "illegal and unjust measure to oust a fixed-term Prosecutor General," and announced plans for a legal battle.

The Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee decided on the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon around 4 a.m. that day, 17 hours after convening the disciplinary committee at 10:30 a.m. the previous day. The execution of disciplinary actions of suspension or higher is to be carried out by President Moon upon the recommendation of Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae. Considering the so-called 'Chu-Yoon conflict' escalating to the extreme, with even dismissal or removal being discussed, it is analyzed that the disciplinary level was relatively lowered to minimize the burden of criticism that this was a 'purge of the Prosecutor General.'

On the day the disciplinary committee for Prosecutor General Yoon was held, President Moon harshly criticized the prosecution, saying it was an unprecedented level of criticism, calling it "a sanctuary with unchecked power that does not take responsibility for its own mistakes and has no way to be held accountable." At the same time, he immediately processed the legal promulgation of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Public Official Corruption Investigation Office, or POCO) law, a core task of reforming power institutions.

The launch of POCO is also entering the final countdown. It is expected that the ruling party will recommend the first POCO chief candidate as early as this week. Since President Moon has already set the timeline by stating, "I hope POCO can officially launch at the beginning of the new year 2021," the National Assembly's confirmation hearings and appointment procedures are expected to proceed swiftly. The Blue House considers the start of the first POCO chief's term as the official launch of POCO. Afterward, the appointment of POCO prosecutors and investigators will be completed, so it is expected to take at least a month or more before POCO is fully operational.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee imposed a two-month suspension on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, and a sense of silence enveloped the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The political circles are paying attention to the significance of the two-month suspension given to Prosecutor General Yoon, coinciding with the launch timing of POCO. Since Prosecutor General Yoon was directly overseeing cases in which the government and ruling party were implicated, such as the economic feasibility manipulation of the Wolseong Unit 1 nuclear reactor and interference in the Ulsan mayoral election, an immediate investigation gap has become inevitable. Furthermore, once POCO is fully operational, it is difficult to rule out the possibility that all these cases will be transferred to POCO while Prosecutor General Yoon is absent.

The problem is that the revised POCO law currently nullifies the opposition party's veto power in the POCO chief candidate recommendation process. This is why POCO is criticized as being effectively a 'presidential protection office.' Although President Moon said the establishment of POCO was "to add another sword of investigation against power-type corruption in the administration," the fact that the sword wielder will ultimately be a ruling party nominee undermines the persuasiveness of this claim.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Yoon issued a statement through his special attorney Lee Wan-gyu around 8 a.m., four hours after the disciplinary committee's decision was announced. Yoon said, "The political neutrality, independence of the prosecution, and the rule of law have been seriously damaged," and added, "I will correct the wrongdoing according to the procedures prescribed by the Constitution and laws." After the president's approval, Prosecutor General Yoon is expected to file a lawsuit challenging the validity of the disciplinary action in court and to intensify the confrontation with the administration.

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