Prosecution Responds to Yoon Seokyoul's Disciplinary Action with 'Be Calm and Strong'

Only One Plea Posted on Prosecution's Internal Network by Morning of the 16th
Strong Criticism Emerges Both Inside and Outside the Prosecution

On the 16th, the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee imposed a two-month suspension on Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyeol, casting a somber atmosphere over the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy, reporters Cho Sungpil and Park Juni] On December 14, the day before the second session of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee, Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyoul set his KakaoTalk profile photo to display the phrase "Be calm and strong." In Korean, this means "Stay calm and strong." Even on the morning of December 16, when the committee imposed a two-month suspension, Yoon maintained this phrase. It can be interpreted as a message he was sending to himself amid the current situation, as he faced another suspension from duty.

On this unprecedented day in constitutional history, when a disciplinary action was imposed on the Prosecutor General, the atmosphere inside the prosecution was both quiet and intense. By 10 a.m., only one post related to Yoon's disciplinary action had appeared on the prosecution's internal network, E-Pros. This stood in stark contrast to the situation last month, when Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered Yoon's suspension and the mood quickly escalated into a so-called "prosecutors' revolt." However, the content of the post was resolute.

One rank-and-file prosecutor posted an article titled "An Earnest Plea to the Final Appointer of Prosecutors." While there had been numerous critical posts on E-Pros targeting Minister Choo and other senior prosecutors aligned with the ruling party, it was extremely rare to see a post directed at the President. In the post, the prosecutor asked, "Is disciplining the Prosecutor General under such procedures and reasons part of creating the unprecedented country you promised upon taking office?" The prosecutor went on to plead, "I earnestly ask you to consider whether this case will leave a major stain on the judicial history of the Republic of Korea."

Within the prosecution, some criticized the suspension as a predetermined outcome. A chief prosecutor from the Seoul metropolitan area said, "Wasn't this the ending that had been foreshadowed ever since Minister Choo filed the disciplinary request against Prosecutor General Yoon?" He added, "There was speculation about whether it would be a two-month or three-month suspension, but the committee's decision was already set." Jeong Heedo, chief prosecutor at the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office, also commented the day before the committee, "I can't help but suspect that the disciplinary committee is operating according to a prearranged script."

Criticism also mounted outside the prosecution, particularly from lawyers with prosecutorial backgrounds. Kim Jongmin, a former head of the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, wrote on his Facebook page at 5 a.m., shortly after the disciplinary decision was announced, "The members of the Ministry of Justice's disciplinary committee must have had a hard time putting on their show," adding, "There were no procedural or substantive grounds for disciplinary action, yet they forcibly imposed a two-month suspension on the sitting Prosecutor General. This is the kind of story that makes international headlines." Seok Donghyun, former head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, also pointed out, "We live in a country where avatars are used to strip the Prosecutor General of his position at four in the morning."

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