Ministry of Justice Prosecution Personnel Committee Concludes... Chief Prosecutor Personnel Changes to Be Implemented in Early June

"Comprehensive Consideration of Ability, Expertise, and Attitude Toward Prosecutorial Reform"... Decision to Maintain Existing Criteria

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Personnel changes for prosecutors at the level of chief prosecutors and above in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office will be implemented in early next month.

In the personnel decisions, the existing criteria, including acceptance of prosecutorial reform in addition to ability and expertise, are expected to be applied as before.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Justice held the 144th Prosecutorial Personnel Committee (Chairperson: Professor Jeon Ji-yeon of Yonsei University Law School) and concluded after discussing the personnel criteria for prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level and above.

At the Prosecutorial Personnel Committee held that afternoon at the Government Complex Gwacheon, the members first received a report on the necessity of personnel changes due to the inauguration of the new Prosecutor General and filling vacancies at the chief prosecutor level and above.

Subsequently, they deliberated and resolved on the direction of the personnel changes and the suitability of new appointees at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level from the 29th to 30th Judicial Research and Training Institute classes.

A Ministry of Justice official stated, "The Prosecutorial Personnel Committee resolved that it is appropriate to maintain the existing personnel criteria, which comprehensively consider ability, expertise, region and school of origin, and the attitude toward accepting the public's demand for prosecutorial reform."

The Ministry of Justice also reported that during the meeting, various discussions took place regarding flexible personnel measures within related regulations, especially concerning the personnel backlog of the cohort of Go Ho-bong at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level.

Meanwhile, the personnel changes are expected to be implemented in early next month.

A Ministry of Justice official said, "The personnel changes for prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level and above will be announced transparently and thoroughly after the legally mandated procedure of hearing the Prosecutor General's opinion, around early June, with appointments scheduled for early to mid-June."

The Prosecutorial Personnel Committee, which deliberates on important matters related to the appointment, transfer, and other personnel affairs of prosecutors, consists of 11 members appointed or commissioned by the Minister of Justice. The chairperson is also appointed or commissioned by the Minister from among the members.

The members include ▲ three prosecutors (at least one being a rank-and-file prosecutor) ▲ two judges recommended by the Chief of the Court Administration ▲ two lawyers recommended by the President of the Korean Bar Association ▲ one law professor recommended by the President of the Korean Association of Law Professors ▲ one law professor recommended by the President of the Association of Law Schools ▲ and two persons with academic knowledge and integrity with extensive experience in various professional fields who are not qualified lawyers.

At the Prosecutorial Personnel Committee, matters deliberated include ▲ establishment of basic plans for prosecutorial personnel administration and amendments or abolition of related laws ▲ principles and standards for appointment and transfer of prosecutors ▲ matters related to case evaluations by prosecutors, including acquittal cases or cases attracting social attention requested for review by at least one-third of the members ▲ and other personnel matters requested for review by the Minister of Justice. Judge members recommended by the Chief of the Court Administration participate only in deliberations concerning new appointments of prosecutors. Decisions are made by a majority vote of the members present.

Usually, prosecutorial personnel changes are announced on the day of or the day after the committee meeting, but this time, instead of discussing specific personnel proposals, the committee discussed overall principles and standards ahead of high-ranking prosecutorial personnel changes.

Discussions on specific personnel proposals will be conducted separately after consultations between Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye, and the new Prosecutor General following the inauguration of Kim.

On the morning of the meeting day, Minister Park responded to reporters' questions about personnel while heading to the Ministry of Justice Gwacheon office, saying, "There is some personnel backlog. There are various difficulties related to the organizational structure, so it seems the time has come to review everything comprehensively."

Recently, the Ministry of Justice sent an official letter to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to collect opinions from frontline prosecutors' offices on a prosecutorial organizational restructuring plan, which includes merging the existing Violent Crime Division with the Anti-Corruption Division, and establishing Investigation Cooperation and Human Rights Protection Divisions. The plan also includes maintaining the existing Financial Investigation Division at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office while establishing a Financial Securities Crime Investigation Cooperation Unit to facilitate organic investigative cooperation with the police and others.

After Minister Park's inauguration, the high-ranking prosecutorial personnel changes implemented in February saw Jo Jong-tae, then Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office Chief, transferred to the vacant position of Director of Planning and Coordination at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office amid controversy over bypassing Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Shin Hyun-soo and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Meanwhile, Shim Jae-cheol, Director of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutorial Bureau, and Lee Jung-soo, Chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, simply swapped positions.

At that time, except for the Chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, all frontline high prosecutors and chief prosecutors were retained without promotions, and with the prosecutorial organizational restructuring underway, the scale of this personnel change is inevitably larger than usual.

However, the fact that candidate Kim, who is three classes senior in the Judicial Research and Training Institute compared to the former Prosecutor General, was nominated as the Prosecutor General candidate reduces the need for high prosecutors who lost in the competition to consider voluntary retirement, which remains a variable.

The leadership line of frontline prosecutors' offices that handled investigations related to the current administration and prosecutorial executives classified as pro-government holding key positions remain points of interest regarding their future placements in this personnel change.

Lee Seong-yoon, Chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who was considered the top candidate for Prosecutor General, has been indicted as a defendant on charges of exerting external pressure on the investigation of the "Kim Hak-eui illegal deportation" case. Attention is focused on whether he will be retained again as Chief of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, promoted to a high prosecutor position, or assigned to a relatively less important post in this personnel change.

Meanwhile, ahead of the personnel changes, Jeon Jun-cheol, Head Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Justice the day before. As a core member of Lee Seong-yoon's faction and trusted by the Chief Prosecutor, Jeon had a conflict with Lee last year over differing views on the assignment of the case involving Prosecutor General Yoon's family.

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