Park Beom-gye and Kim Oh-soo to Discuss Current Issues in Public Meeting Tomorrow

Visiting the National Cemetery after Paying Respects to Kim
Discussion on Prosecutor Personnel and Organizational Restructuring

On the 2nd, at the Gwacheon Government Complex office, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo (left) and Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye (right) met. Photo by Ministry of Justice

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye and Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo will hold a public meeting on the afternoon of the 3rd to discuss current issues related to the prosecution.

Minister Park and Prosecutor General Kim met on the morning of the 2nd at the Gwacheon Government Complex for their first meeting since Kim's inauguration and discussed the schedule for personnel consultations. After a brief greeting and exchange of pleasantries, they also briefly shared opinions on current issues. Prosecutor General Kim, who left the complex about an hour after entering, stated, "I conveyed concerns about the internal organizational reform plan of the prosecution to the Minister."

The two are scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on the 3rd to discuss personnel and organizational reforms. Minister Park told reporters on his way to work, "We will soon arrange a separate meeting to hear the Prosecutor General's opinions for personnel consultations. We plan to make it official and public." Regarding the organizational reform plan, Minister Park said, "The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office have been continuously discussing it. We are also reviewing the pointed-out issues," adding, "If Prosecutor General Kim speaks, we will listen carefully and review it prudently."

Prosecutor General Kim faces significant decisions immediately upon taking office, including prosecution personnel appointments, organizational restructuring, and investigations targeting the administration. In particular, coordination of opinions with Minister Park is crucial for personnel appointments and organizational restructuring. Recently, the prosecution has experienced confusion due to personnel standards and organizational reform plans reflecting Minister Park's intentions.

The core of the organizational reform plan is to eliminate the distinction between high prosecutors and district prosecutors to resolve the "personnel backlog," reversing seniority, and to abolish the direct investigative authority over six major crimes by the criminal division through restructuring.

In response, prosecution executives such as Cho Sang-chul, Seoul High Prosecutor, Oh In-seo, Suwon High Prosecutor, and Bae Seong-beom, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, have consecutively submitted their resignations. Depending on the stance Prosecutor General Kim expresses when meeting Minister Park, the wave of resignations among executives may increase or decrease. Since Kim stated that "organizational stability" is an urgent task to be resolved after his inauguration, he may actively present the prosecution's position.

The issue of the position of Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who is reportedly likely to be promoted to high prosecutor despite being indicted for investigation interference, is also a major concern within the prosecution. Prosecutor General Kim stated at the recent confirmation hearing, "I will provide an appropriate opinion upon taking office" regarding Lee.

Meanwhile, before visiting Minister Park, Prosecutor General Kim visited the National Seoul National Cemetery at 8:30 a.m. that day to pay respects. Deputy Prosecutor General Cho Nam-gwan and other senior officials from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office also participated. After the visit, Kim wrote in the guestbook, "I will uphold the patriotic loyalty of those who devoted themselves to the country and definitely create a people-centered prosecution." In the afternoon, he will also meet Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo of the Supreme Court.

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