Park Beom-gye, Accepting No Charges and Counterattacking with 'Joint Inspection'?

Decision to Announce Position Following Today's Supreme Prosecutors' Office Expanded Meeting... Likely to Build Justification for Prosecutorial Reform Through Inspection

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Attention is focused on the next move of Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye following the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's decision of no charges in the alleged perjury intimidation case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook. Although Park has stated that he will accept the results of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's extended meeting if he exercises his investigative command authority, variables such as joint inspections remain.

On the 22nd, Minister Park told reporters on his way to the Ministry of Justice Gwacheon office that he would organize and announce his position in the afternoon. After receiving a report on the final decision by Acting Prosecutor General Cho Nam-gwan on the 20th, the day after the extended meeting of Supreme Prosecutors' Office chiefs and high prosecutors, Minister Park is known to have already completed his review.

Earlier, on the 19th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office held an extended meeting with 14 participants, including Acting Prosecutor General Cho, seven chiefs of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (at the level of chief prosecutors), and six high prosecutors nationwide, deciding to dismiss charges against the inmate involved in this case. Ten attendees expressed opinions for non-prosecution, two for prosecution, and two abstained.

Minister Park has expressed his intention to accept the results of the extended meeting if he exercises his investigative command authority, but there are still variables. On the day of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office meeting, he stated on his way home that "the process must also be reviewed," emphasizing the inclusion of opinions from Han Dong-su, head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department, and Im Eun-jeong, Inspection Policy Research Officer, mentioning that he would see "how weightily" these were considered. After judging the detailed contents of the extended meeting, he could potentially reject the final opinion of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

However, in legal circles, it is considered practically difficult for Minister Park to reject the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's decision. If he denies the decision made after a marathon meeting lasting over 10 hours by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office leadership, internal backlash within the prosecution is likely to intensify, and with the April by-elections approaching, a new conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution could negatively affect the ruling party.

The next card expected from Minister Park inside and outside the prosecution is a 'joint inspection.' Minister Park also mentioned on the day that he would provide his opinion on future joint inspections. Previously, on the 17th when he exercised his investigative command authority, Minister Park ordered, "The Ministry of Justice Inspection Office and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department shall jointly conduct a special inspection on illegal and improper investigative procedures and practices during the investigation of former Prime Minister Han's 2010 case, and promptly report the results and improvement plans." This was due to confirmed circumstances such as human rights violations against involved parties, unnecessary contact with families of involved parties, providing various conveniences to inmates while using them as informants or whistleblowers, and opaque summons investigations of involved parties.

Of course, even if misconduct by the investigation team is revealed during the inspection, disciplinary action is impossible as the three-year statute of limitations for disciplinary measures has already passed. However, if Minister Park publicly takes measures such as warnings and links them with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's no-charge conclusion, criticism of the prosecution's 'protecting their own' could be raised.

This could also be used as another justification for prosecutorial reform. After the by-elections, based on the inspection results, there is a high possibility that the complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority and the establishment of a Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which had been slowed down due to internal and public criticism of the prosecution, will be re-discussed. A lawyer with prosecutorial experience predicted, "(Minister Park) initially exercised his investigative command authority to request a re-evaluation, and since even pro-government figures expressed opinions for non-prosecution, rather than rejecting this, he is expected to focus on the inspection and use it as another stepping stone for prosecutorial reform."

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