'Prosecutors Who Criticized Choo Resign' National Petition, Blue House Says "Not Possible, But Prosecutors Must Self-Reflect"

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The Blue House expressed a principled stance on the 29th that it is "not possible" to accept the resignations of frontline prosecutors who publicly criticized Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, in response to a national petition requesting their acceptance. However, it reaffirmed its commitment to prosecutorial reform by stating, "Prosecutors must also remember that all power comes from the people, and public officials are servants to the people according to the constitutional spirit, and they should reflect on themselves and strive to restore public trust."

In its response to the national petition titled "Acceptance of Resignations of Prosecutors Expressing Opinions," the Blue House said, "The government takes the criticisms and points raised by the people in this petition seriously," and added, "We will continue to steadfastly pursue reform of power institutions."

On October 30, the petitioner stated, "A politician as chief prosecutor is destroying the prosecution," and requested, "Please accept the resignations of prosecutors who are coming out in support of the politician chief prosecutor." This petition was made amid escalating conflicts between Minister Choo and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, urging acceptance of the resignations of frontline prosecutors who voiced criticism against Minister Choo. A total of 464,412 people participated in this petition. The Blue House changed the term "coming out" to "expressing opinions" in its response, considering that the National Human Rights Commission and others advise caution in the inappropriate use of the term.

Under current law, prosecutors are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Minister of Justice (Article 34, Paragraph 1 of the Prosecutors' Office Act) and are guaranteed certain protections under the Prosecutors' Office Act. Prosecutors cannot be dismissed except in cases of impeachment or sentencing to imprisonment or higher penalties, and unless disciplinary actions are taken, they cannot be removed or dismissed (Article 37 of the Prosecutors' Office Act).

The Blue House cited these legal grounds, explaining, "Disciplinary actions such as dismissal cannot be taken solely based on prosecutors expressing their opinions," and added, "There have been no official resignation letters submitted by prosecutors related to this petition. Therefore, we respond that acceptance of the resignations requested by the petitioner is not possible."

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