Controversy Over Neutrality Surrounding Kim Oh-soo... "Prosecutors' Political Neutrality Is Extremely Important"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Kim Osu, the nominee for Prosecutor General, emphasized 'neutrality' ahead of the confirmation hearing. Kim is currently embroiled in controversies over political neutrality, including allegations of involvement in the illegal travel ban of former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui and the proposal to exclude former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol from directing the investigation into former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.

According to the legal community on the 17th, in response to a question from Rep. Yoon Han-hong of the People Power Party asking, "What do you think about prosecutors posting political content on SNS that anyone can see? Do you think disciplinary action is possible?" Kim stated that "the political neutrality of prosecutors is very important."

Although no specific prosecutor was named in this inquiry, the current prosecutors who have recently been involved in controversies over SNS activities include Lim Eun-jung, the Research Officer for Inspection Policy at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor), and Jin Hye-won, Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office.

Research Officer Lim was reported to a civic group for allegedly leaking official secrets after posting her opinions on SNS in March regarding the alleged perjury case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook and issues related to case assignments. Prosecutor Jin was reported for violating the Public Official Election Act and the National Public Service Act after posting defamatory content against opposition candidates on SNS ahead of the April 7 by-elections.

However, Kim added, "It is difficult to generally evaluate prosecutors' SNS activities, and I believe it should be judged specifically based on individual cases."

Earlier, on the first day of preparing for the confirmation hearing, Kim emphasized 'stability within the prosecution organization' and a 'fair prosecution.' In response to criticism that "issues of political neutrality keep arising," he replied, "I will diligently ensure political neutrality. That is a given."

Nonetheless, Kim's confirmation hearing is already expected to focus heavily on political neutrality, with major issues including allegations of his involvement in the illegal travel ban of former Deputy Minister Kim Hak-ui and the controversy over the proposal to exclude former Prosecutor General Yoon from directing the investigation into former Minister Cho Kuk.

In fact, Kim is known to have received related reports on behalf of former Minister Park Sang-ki during the travel ban on former Deputy Minister Kim in March 2019. He was also subject to a written investigation by the investigative team regarding this matter. Additionally, in September 2019, he proposed the formation of a 'special investigation team for Cho Kuk' at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that excluded former Prosecutor General Yoon from directing the investigation, which raises doubts about his political neutrality.

Meanwhile, Kim's confirmation hearing is expected to take place as early as next week. His views on the conditional transfer of cases to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI), and the complete separation of investigation and prosecution, are also expected to be disclosed. The ruling party is defending Kim as "a figure who will complete prosecution reform and lead the prosecution organization stably," while the opposition party is evaluating him as a "political appointee."

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