The New Prosecutor General Outline Next Week... Will Controversial 'Lee Seong-yoon' Be Included?

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Supreme Prosecutors' Office has decided to convene the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee (Investigation Deliberation Committee) regarding Lee Seong-yoon, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and a suspect in the 'Kim Hak-ui illegal departure ban' case. The Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee (Recommendation Committee) is scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 29th, and the biggest point of interest is the timing of the Investigation Deliberation Committee's convening.

Typically, the Investigation Deliberation Committee is held 2 to 3 weeks after the decision to convene it. However, this time, since it coincides with the recommendation of the Prosecutor General candidate, there is a possibility it may be convened sooner. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office also stated, "Considering the suspect's status, public interest, and the urgency of the matter, we have accepted the request from the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office Chief to convene the Prosecutorial Investigation Deliberation Committee."

Lee, while serving as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in June 2019, is suspected of exerting external pressure during the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Anyang Branch's investigation into whether there was any illegality in the process of banning former Vice Minister Kim from leaving the country. The investigation team reported a prosecution opinion against Lee to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which is also known to have set a prosecution policy.

If the Investigation Deliberation Committee is held after the Recommendation Committee, Lee's burden will be reduced. He can temporarily escape the title of 'defendant Prosecutor General candidate.' The legal community expects that even in urgent cases, it will take more than a week to form and convene the deliberation committee. According to related guidelines, a current affairs committee must be formed by selecting 15 members through a lottery from 150 to 250 experts from various fields such as law, academia, media, civic groups, and culture and arts to deliberate the case, and this process also takes considerable time.

However, if the Investigation Deliberation Committee issues a prosecution opinion against Lee after the Recommendation Committee, the burden shifts to President Moon Jae-in. As the appointing authority, President Moon could face a situation where he appoints a 'suspect Prosecutor General.' For Lee, whose position within the prosecution has already significantly narrowed, this could mean a situation where he cannot control the prosecution even after becoming Prosecutor General.

The Recommendation Committee proceeds by having its members recommend a pool of candidates three to four times the number needed to Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye, who then nominates one of them to President Moon. Considering that Minister Park appoints four of the nine recommendation committee members and that the head of the Ministry of Justice's prosecution bureau is an ex officio recommendation member, it is highly likely that Minister Park will lead the candidate pool toward a pro-government stance.

Earlier, Minister Park also responded to reporters' questions about whether Lee Seong-yoon, who is called pro-government, is included in the candidate pool by saying, "It is difficult to say who the candidates are, and it is entirely up to the Recommendation Committee to decide," but added, "The Prosecutor General is appointed by the President. There is a strong correlation with the President's national governance philosophy."

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