Park Beom-gye "Public Meeting with Chief Kim Osu for Personnel Discussions"... Today Chief Kim Visits Minister Park

Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon Returns to Frontline... "No Conclusion Yet"

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, reaffirmed his position to publicly meet and consult with Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo to discuss personnel appointments for senior prosecutors at the level of chief prosecutors and above.

On the morning of the 2nd, while heading to the Ministry of Justice Government Gwacheon Complex, Park was asked, "What will you discuss when you meet Prosecutor General Kim today?" He replied, "It entirely depends on the Prosecutor General," adding, "I will first listen to his opening remarks, and if he has prepared any statements, I will hear them."

He then responded to questions from reporters regarding personnel matters, saying, "We will soon arrange a separate meeting to hear the Prosecutor General's opinions for personnel consultations," and “intend to make it official and public.”

That morning, Prosecutor General Kim visited Minister Park to pay a courtesy call following his appointment, with the intention of scheduling a separate meeting to discuss personnel plans. Previously, Minister Park had stated several times that he would make the process of hearing the Prosecutor General’s opinions on personnel matters more substantive and would preferably meet the Prosecutor General publicly.

Prosecutor General Kim, upon arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for the first time the day before, was asked by reporters whether he would discuss personnel issues with Minister Park that day. He replied, "Tomorrow, since I have officially received my appointment letter, I am going to greet the Minister," adding, "I think there will be ample opportunity to discuss personnel matters separately."

Therefore, it is expected that the two will exchange congratulatory remarks on their appointments and engage in light conversation unrelated to personnel or major case investigations.

Minister Park also expressed his intention to carefully listen to Prosecutor General Kim’s opinions on the prosecution organization restructuring plan.

In his inaugural speech the day before, Prosecutor General Kim mentioned, "Based on the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act, chief prosecutors and prosecutors will take the lead in investigations and case decisions, while investigators will support the investigations," which was interpreted as a subtle expression of opposition to the Ministry of Justice’s ongoing plan to restrict direct investigations by the criminal division.

Regarding this, Minister Park said, "The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office are continuing discussions at the working level," adding, "Whether today or at the meeting to hear opinions for personnel matters, if there are any statements, I will listen carefully and review them prudently."

When asked about the recent resignation letter of Bae Seong-beom, head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, who mentioned, "No personnel disadvantages should be given to prosecutors involved in specific investigations," Minister Park avoided a direct answer, saying, "Perspectives and evaluations of investigations differ," and "It is difficult to explain how personnel decisions will reflect this."

When asked whether Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon, who was demoted to a research fellow at the Judicial Research and Training Institute due to his involvement in the 'Channel A coercion attempt' case, would be reinstated in this personnel appointment, he replied, "It is difficult to give an answer. No conclusion has been reached yet."

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