Prosecutor Organization Restructuring Delayed... Mid-Level Executive Personnel Changes Also Postponed

'Prosecutor Organization Reform Plan' Fails to Be Submitted to Cabinet Meeting on the 8th... Park Beom-gye's Concerns Deepen Amid Internal Prosecutor Opposition

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The mid-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle is being delayed. Although Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye mentioned that he would start immediately after the high-ranking prosecutor personnel reshuffle, the preceding organizational restructuring work has been postponed. Depending on the extent of revisions to the organizational restructuring, there is a possibility that the mid-level personnel reshuffle could be postponed until the end of this month.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Ministry of Justice did not submit the prosecution organizational restructuring plan to the Cabinet meeting this morning. Most of the contents in the draft must be approved by the Cabinet meeting as they are part of the presidential decree, the "Regulations on the Organization of the Prosecutor's Office."

Currently, it is reported that Minister Park is deeply contemplating the organizational restructuring plan within and outside the prosecution. The plan mainly restricts direct investigations by frontline criminal divisions and requires approval from the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Justice to initiate investigations, which has caused considerable internal opposition within the prosecution.

Further discussions with Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo are also necessary. Prosecutor General Kim conveyed internal opinions that direct investigations should be expanded somewhat, and Minister Park has shown some consensus. Since many pro-government figures were promoted in the previous high-ranking prosecutor personnel reshuffle, Minister Park cannot help but calculate the scope of acceptance for organizational stability.

There is also a possibility that Prosecutor General Kim will voice his opinions strongly. Having faced a de facto "passing over" controversy in the high-ranking personnel reshuffle, the evaluation of his leadership will inevitably depend on how much the internal opinions of the prosecution are reflected during consultations with Minister Park.

As the organizational restructuring work is delayed, the timing of the mid-level personnel reshuffle is also being pushed back. Unlike high-ranking prosecutors who hold approval authority, most mid-level personnel are investigation practitioners, so the department and personnel operation policies must reflect the revised organizational structure. This is why Minister Park repeatedly emphasized prioritizing organizational restructuring over mid-level personnel reshuffle.

Some speculate that the mid-level personnel reshuffle could be postponed until the end of this month. The prosecution organizational restructuring involves reorganizing government organizations, so even after the Ministry of Justice completes the legislative amendment work, it must go through consultations with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Moreover, since it involves amending a presidential decree, discussions with the Blue House are also necessary, making it tight to discuss at the Cabinet meeting on the 15th, a week later.

The fallout is spreading to major investigations within the prosecution. With the command lines of cases awaiting higher-level approval already reshuffled, the movement of investigation practitioners has become a variable, leading to a prolonged phase. Lee Doo-bong, head of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office who led the 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant case,' has moved to become head of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, and the heads of the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office and District Prosecutors' Office, which investigate and have jurisdiction over the 'Kim Hak-ui former Deputy Minister of Justice illegal departure ban suspicion' case, have all been replaced. A lawyer from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office expressed concern, saying, "(Prosecutor General Kim) has been continuously criticized for his pro-government stance even during the previous confirmation hearings, so in the remaining organizational restructuring and personnel work, he must solidify his position as the head of the prosecution," adding, "Otherwise, he risks being called a mere 'approval prosecutor general' who loses all trust within the prosecution just one month after taking office."

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