Kim Osu Ahead of Hearing... What Stance Will He Take on Complete Prosecution Reform and Personnel?

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Ahead of the confirmation hearing for Kim Osu, the nominee for Prosecutor General, attention is focused on how Kim will respond to various controversies surrounding him. Issues raised include the complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority (Geomsu Wanbak), the transfer of prosecution rights to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (Gongsocho), allegations of tax evasion on gifts to his children, and suspicions of preferential treatment in the allocation of LH public housing apartments.

The confirmation hearing for Kim, scheduled for the 26th, will be the last Prosecutor General confirmation hearing under the Moon Jae-in administration. Currently, Kim is organizing his stance on the allegations against him and the future direction of prosecutorial reform.

The opposition party regards Kim as a "political appointee of the Moon Jae-in government aimed at incapacitating the prosecution," judging him as an 'unfit candidate.' This is why Kim's political bias is expected to be a major focus during the hearing.

In particular, Kim's position on Geomsu Wanbak is attracting significant interest even within the prosecution. The ruling party and government are considering transferring all remaining investigative authority over six major crimes, including corruption and economic crimes, from the prosecution to the Serious Crime Investigation Office (Jungsucheong). Since Kim worked on the groundwork for prosecutorial reform alongside former Ministers of Justice Park Sang-ki, Cho Kuk, and Choo Mi-ae, he is likely to lean toward supporting this.

However, there is also speculation that Kim might advocate for a more measured approach now that he is the head of the prosecution. This is a sensitive issue that previously triggered the resignation of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, and depending on Kim's responses, a second 'prosecutorial turmoil (Geomran)' could occur.

Kim's stance on the transfer of prosecution rights, which differs from the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office, is another point to watch. Although the Gongsocho has expanded its tripartite consultative body with the prosecution and police to a five-party consultative body including the Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defense's prosecution unit, the prosecution has so far avoided making a concrete statement.

If Kim is appointed, the personnel changes within the prosecution will also be revealed. The fate of Lee Sung-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is a major point of interest. Opposition lawmakers preparing for the confirmation hearing plan to focus on whether to handle personnel matters concerning Lee, who has been indicted.

However, legal circles predict that unless Kim makes a critical mistake during the hearing, he is unlikely to be dismissed solely due to political bias concerns. The position of Prosecutor General has been vacant for nearly three months, and there is a need to accelerate follow-up work on prosecutorial reform.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee has decided to appoint lawyer Kim Pil-sung and Professor Seo Min of Dankook University as reference witnesses for Kim's confirmation hearing. After negotiations on witnesses and reference witnesses with the People Power Party broke down, the Democratic Party convened a full committee meeting of the Judiciary Committee alone on the afternoon of the 20th and passed this resolution. The People Power Party did not attend the meeting.

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