Minister Choo Mi-ae resigns after one year in office... President Moon says "Thank you for completing the mission entrusted by the era"

President Moon praises Minister Chu's drive and decisiveness... Also highly values decision on position
Conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon continues over personnel and investigation supervision since January inauguration

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is arriving at the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 10th, when the disciplinary committee for the Prosecutor General is scheduled to take place. / Gwacheon - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] On the 16th, Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae tendered her resignation after one year in office. Since her inauguration on January 2, the nearly year-long conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol was settled with the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon, and it appears she judged that stepping down from the ministerial position was timely for her next political move, such as running for election.

President Moon Jae-in approved Minister Chu’s disciplinary recommendation against Prosecutor General Yoon on the same day, praising her drive and decisiveness in leading reforms of power institutions, including the launch of the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Agency (HOCI) and investigative authority reforms.

After completing a joint briefing on 'Power Institution Reform' at the Government Seoul Office in the afternoon with Park Jie-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service, and Jin Young, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Minister Chu did not return to the Ministry of Justice but visited the Blue House, where she submitted the disciplinary proposal of 'two months suspension' against Prosecutor General Yoon to President Moon. At this meeting, Minister Chu also expressed her intention to resign.

Minister Chu’s face-to-face report reportedly lasted over an hour from 5:00 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. President Moon’s approval of the disciplinary decision came around 6:30 p.m.

President Moon stated, “As the appointing authority, I take the unprecedented situation of disciplining the Prosecutor General very seriously and feel deeply sorry to the public,” adding, “I hope this will be an opportunity for the prosecution to stand upright. I expect a new start for the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution by putting an end to the confusion surrounding the disciplinary action against the Prosecutor General.”

He continued, “Without Minister Chu’s drive and decisiveness, reforms of power institutions, including the HOCI and investigative authority reforms, would have been impossible,” and expressed special gratitude for her faithful fulfillment of the mission entrusted by the times.

Regarding Minister Chu’s resignation, President Moon said, “I highly appreciate Minister Chu’s expression of intent to resign and her decision on her position, and I will carefully consider and decide whether to accept it,” urging her to “fulfill her duties until the very end.”

Immediately after the news of Minister Chu’s resignation became known, lawyer Lee Wan-gyu, who is representing Prosecutor General Yoon legally, stated, “Regardless of Minister Chu’s resignation, the litigation process will proceed.”

From the personnel reshuffle immediately after her inauguration, Minister Chu broke with existing precedent by excluding Prosecutor General Yoon’s opinions and placing her own people in key positions, sowing the seeds of conflict.

Later, during the conflict phase between Prosecutor General Yoon and Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, over the investigation of the ‘Channel A Coercion Attempt’ (so-called media-prosecution collusion) case that surfaced at the end of March, Minister Chu excluded Yoon’s investigative command authority and empowered Chief Prosecutor Lee, deepening the conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon.

In October, amid the investigation of the ‘Lime Case’ by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, Minister Chu ordered investigations into Prosecutor General Yoon himself, his family, and close aides following allegations of ‘prosecutor alcohol entertainment,’ cornering Yoon.

Shortly after, during the National Assembly audit, Prosecutor General Yoon’s explosive remark, “The Prosecutor General is not a subordinate of the Minister,” escalated the conflict to its peak. Ultimately, Minister Chu filed disciplinary charges against Prosecutor General Yoon on the 24th of last month, citing eight disciplinary reasons including his remarks during the audit.

However, earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice Inspection Committee recommended that Minister Chu’s disciplinary request, suspension from duty, and investigation referral were all illegal and unjust. Additionally, the court suspended the effect of Minister Chu’s order to suspend Yoon’s execution of duties, putting Minister Chu on the defensive.

With successive opposition statements from prosecutors nationwide?from junior prosecutors to high-ranking prosecutors?who had been quietly observing the situation, as well as criticism from lawyer groups and progressive civic organizations, public opinion shifted toward questioning the disciplinary request against Prosecutor General Yoon. Minister Chu’s insistence on the disciplinary action also caused President Moon’s approval rating to fall to a historic low.

Nevertheless, Minister Chu succeeded in forming the disciplinary committee with members who shared her views, as she could directly influence the appointment or nomination of all disciplinary committee members under the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, and ultimately led to the disciplinary decision against Prosecutor General Yoon.

Even if President Moon accepts Minister Chu’s resignation and she steps down as Minister of Justice, as the final authority on this disciplinary action, President Moon will be the opposing party in the upcoming litigation from Prosecutor General Yoon’s side and will have to deal with the consequences of the disciplinary procedures pushed forward by Minister Chu.

Seemingly aware of this situation, the Blue House emphasized that President Moon approved the disciplinary proposal as submitted by the Minister. This was interpreted as underscoring that under the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, the President who receives the disciplinary proposal has no discretion to reject the execution of discipline or adjust the severity of the disciplinary measure, and that the legal responsibility lies substantially with Minister Chu rather than the President.

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