Park Beom-gye, Controversy Over University President Appointment Criteria Citing "Alignment with President's National Policy Philosophy"... Concerns Raised by Both Ruling and Opposition Parties

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] As the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee (Recommendation Committee) is scheduled to be held next week to decide the next Prosecutor General candidate, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye's mention of 'correlation with the president's state administration philosophy' as a criterion for appointing the Prosecutor General has caused a significant stir.

Right after former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl resigned on the 4th of last month, Minister Park said he would "swiftly proceed with the appointment of the successor Prosecutor General like lightning," but later changed his stance, saying "there are many factors to consider," thus delaying the process.

Meanwhile, the ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in the by-elections held during this period, and several variables emerged, including Lee Seong-yoon, the most likely next candidate and the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, becoming a suspect under investigation by both the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on charges of 'investigation interference.'

Therefore, inside and outside the prosecution, there is close attention on whether President Moon Jae-in will push forward with the appointment of Prosecutor Lee, who is regarded as the most trustworthy card. At this sensitive time, Minister Park, who can exert absolute influence over the Recommendation Committee, mentioned 'the president's state administration philosophy' as a criterion for appointing the Prosecutor General, prompting voices from both ruling and opposition parties to criticize the inappropriateness.

Kim Do-eup of the People Power Party: "Is this revealing the intention behind Lee Seong-yoon's appointment?"... "The virtue of the Prosecutor General is to uphold the prosecution's political neutrality and independence"

The first to open fire was Kim Do-eup, a member of the People Power Party.

On the 23rd, when Minister Park's remark about the 'president's state administration philosophy' was made, Kim posted on his Facebook, saying, "Today, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye stated that the next Prosecutor General appointment criterion would have a 'high correlation with the president's state administration philosophy.' I express concern about the Minister of Justice's perception."

He added, "Are you revealing your intention to appoint Lee Seong-yoon, a pro-government shield prosecutor, as the next Prosecutor General? What exactly is President Moon Jae-in's state administration philosophy? Is it to protect pro-government corrupt personnel? I cannot help but ask if the Moon administration intends to make a code appointment even for the Prosecutor General."

Kim said, "The virtue needed for the next Prosecutor General is not correlation with President Moon's state administration philosophy but to uphold the prosecution's political neutrality and independence." He urged, "If President Moon even slightly sympathizes with the spirit of the times of rule of law and fairness, I hope the next Prosecutor General will be someone who 'respects law and principles and cherishes political neutrality and independence as if their life depends on it.'"

Cho Eung-cheon: "The minister coolly admits wanting a prosecution that listens well"... "Minister Park's words provide momentum to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's presidential path"

Voices pointing out the inappropriateness of Minister Park's remarks also came from the ruling party.

Democratic Party member Cho Eung-cheon posted on Facebook on the morning of the 24th under the title 'Qualifications of the Prosecutor General,' saying, "Recently, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye responded to reporters' questions about the criteria for recommending a Prosecutor General candidate by saying, 'Because the Prosecutor General is the head appointed by the president to lead the prosecution agency, there is a high correlation with the president's state administration philosophy.' I doubted my ears."

Cho said, "The CIO explicitly emphasized political neutrality and independence in its duties. That was the justification for prosecution reform. However, the first virtue of the Prosecutor General, who leads a much larger organization than the CIO and is closely related to the daily lives of the people, is the correlation with the president's state administration philosophy? It is embarrassing that the minister so coolly admitted wanting a prosecution that listens well."

He added, "If it is like this, I am really worried about what the minister thinks prosecution reform is."

Like Kim, Cho also emphasized political neutrality and independence as virtues of the Prosecutor General.

He stated, "For the establishment of democracy, regardless of investigative authority, the prosecution still requires strong political neutrality and independence, unlike general administrative agencies." Therefore, the most important condition or virtue for the Prosecutor General must still be 'a firm will and courage to make fair decisions independent from political power.'"

At the end of his post, Cho directed a sharp remark at Minister Park.

Cho said, "Minister, please establish new qualifications for the Prosecutor General to properly complete prosecution reform. Also, please reflect on whether your words and actions are providing great momentum to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's presidential path."

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