Yoon's Resignation Followed by Successor Recruitment Within a Week... Prosecution Subdued by Ruling Party-Aligned Recommendation Committee

Starting from the 15th, the 'National Recommendation System' begins... Names like Jo Nam-gwan and Han Dong-su mentioned, possibility of a third candidate

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] One week after former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's resignation, the personnel selection process to appoint his successor has begun. When former Prosecutor General Kim Soo-nam expressed his intention to resign in 2017, it took 50 days just to form the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee. Since former Prosecutor General Yoon moved into politics while maintaining his influence within the prosecution, this move is interpreted as an attempt to quickly appoint a new Prosecutor General to change the atmosphere.

According to the legal community on the 12th, the Ministry of Justice announced a call for nominations for candidates to be recommended for the new Prosecutor General and decided to start a "National Recommendation System" from the 15th, allowing the public to directly recommend candidates. Anyone, whether an individual, corporation, or organization, can recommend a person they consider suitable as a candidate for Prosecutor General.

The day before, the Ministry of Justice also disclosed the list of nine members of the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee, consisting of eight external members and one internal member, to recommend candidates. Former Minister of Justice Park Sang-ki serves as the chairman. Ex officio members include Kim Hyung-doo, Deputy Director of the Court Administration Office; Lee Jong-yeop, President of the Korean Bar Association; Han Ki-jung, Chairman of the Council of Law Schools; Jung Young-hwan, President of the Korean Law Professors Association; and Lee Jung-soo, Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Bureau. Non-ex officio members are Gil Tae-gi, former Deputy Minister of Justice; Professor Ahn Jin of Chonnam National University Law School; and Son Won-je, editorial writer for Hankyoreh.

After the announcement of the committee members, the atmosphere within the prosecution has somewhat calmed. Former Minister Park, who served as the first Minister of Justice under the Moon Jae-in administration, has been critical of the "Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution." Professor Ahn also participated as an external member of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee during discussions on disciplining former Prosecutor General Yoon, raising concerns that the recommendation committee may be biased toward the ruling party.

Interpretations regarding the next Prosecutor General candidates have become more divided. Within the prosecution, support had been high for Cho Nam-gwan, Deputy Prosecutor General. He showed a pro-government stance while serving as Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Bureau during former Minister Choo Mi-ae’s tenure but supported the prosecution organization during the disciplinary phase against Prosecutor General Yoon.

However, after the disclosure of the recommendation committee members, Han Dong-soo, head of the Inspection Department, has rapidly risen in prominence. He is known for consistently opposing former Prosecutor General Yoon, who led the investigation into former Minister Cho Kuk’s family, and as an outsider to the prosecution, he could symbolize prosecution reform.

The possibility of Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, has also opened up further. As a representative pro-government prosecutor with less than a year left in his term, he is considered the easiest choice for the Moon Jae-in administration to control the prosecution organization in its final phase. However, Lee’s leadership within the organization has weakened, and his support inside the prosecution is not high. Additionally, former Deputy Minister Kim Oh-soo, who worked closely with former Ministers Park Sang-ki, Cho Kuk, and Choo Mi-ae, and former Deputy Prosecutor General Bong Wook are also mentioned. The possibility of a third candidate being appointed cannot be ruled out.

The legal community expects the Ministry of Justice to accelerate discussions within the recommendation committee after receiving candidate nominations on the 22nd. A lawyer with prosecution experience said, "Even after former Prosecutor General Yoon’s resignation, the impact of the Serious Crime Investigation Office within the prosecution remains, and a leader is needed to take responsibility for and lead important investigations." He added, "Since the recommendation committee was formed quickly, it is highly likely that the process from narrowing down candidates to ministerial recommendation will be completed within a month."

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