Prosecutors Promote and Transfer 652 Mid-Level Executives... All Investigation Team Leaders Related to Regime Cases Replaced (Comprehensive)

Replacement of Investigation Team Leaders for 'Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant', 'Kim Hak-ui's Travel Ban', and 'Blue House Planned Inspection' Cases

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye is attending the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Seokjin Choi and Hyungmin Kim] On the 24th, the Ministry of Justice carried out a large-scale personnel reshuffle involving mid-level prosecutors such as deputy chief prosecutors and chief prosecutors.

As feared, all team leaders who had led investigations into regime-related cases such as the ‘Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant’ incident, the ‘Kim Hak-eui illegal deportation,’ and the ‘Blue House planned inspection’ were replaced in this reshuffle.

This reshuffle, reflecting the organizational reform plan passed at the vice ministerial meeting the day before, was the largest ever conducted.

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye announced that on the 2nd of next month, new appointments and transfers would be made for 662 prosecutors, including 652 prosecutors at the high prosecutor level and 10 general prosecutors.

First, the regime-related investigation leadership line, which attracted the most attention, was entirely replaced. Lee Sang-hyun, head of the Criminal Division 5 at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office who investigated the ‘Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant’ case, was transferred to Chief of Criminal Division 3 at Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office; Lee Jeong-seop, head of Criminal Division 3 at Suwon District Prosecutors' Office who investigated the ‘Kim Hak-eui illegal deportation and investigation pressure’ allegations, was moved to Chief of Criminal Division 2 at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office; and Byeon Pil-geon, head of Criminal Division 1 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office who investigated the ‘Blue House planned inspection’ allegations, was assigned as Human Rights Protection Officer at Changwon District Prosecutors' Office.

Kang Su-san-na, who served as the public relations officer at Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, was also transferred to Chief of the Middle Investigation Unit at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office.

At Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest prosecution office in the country, the 1st to 4th deputy chief prosecutors were appointed as follows: Jeong Jin-woo, deputy chief prosecutor of Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office; Park Cheol-woo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice; Jin Jae-seon, head of Seosan Branch; and Kim Tae-hoon, director of the prosecution division at the Ministry of Justice.

Im Eun-jeong, a research officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office who had earned the government's trust, was assigned as the Ministry of Justice’s Inspection Officer, while Park Eun-jeong, the Ministry of Justice’s Inspection Officer, was transferred to head the Seongnam Branch.

On the other hand, some prosecutors classified as part of the so-called ‘Yoon Seok-yeol faction’ were assigned to less prominent positions, such as Song Kyung-ho, head of Yeoju Branch, who moved to Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, and Shin Bong-su, head of Pyeongtaek Branch, who moved to Seoul High Prosecutors' Office.

Ko Hyung-gon, chief prosecutor who investigated former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk’s case and then moved to head the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed head of Pohang Branch, and Kang Baek-shin, who had been assigned to Tongyeong Branch, was transferred to Chief of the Trial Division at Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office.

Choi Hyuk, head of Criminal Division 3 at Goyang Branch, was appointed as the head of the newly established Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Investigation Division at Busan District Prosecutors' Office, and Park Seong-hoon, deputy chief prosecutor at Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed head of the Financial Crime Investigation Unit at Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.

The spokespersons for the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office were all replaced by women. Park Hyun-joo, head of the Women and Child Crime Investigation Division at Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice; Seo In-seon, head of Criminal Division 5 at Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; and Lee Hye-eun, head of Criminal Division 1 at Pyeongtaek Branch, was appointed public relations officer acting as spokesperson at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Seo previously served as deputy spokesperson at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

Park Se-hyun, a prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office who had served as public relations officer at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for a long time and was reappointed once, was transferred to head Busan Eastern Branch.

Meanwhile, Lee Gyu-won, a prosecutor at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office who is currently on trial for illegal deportation charges related to former Vice Minister Kim, will maintain his secondment to the Fair Trade Commission while serving as deputy chief prosecutor at Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office.

According to the presidential decree ‘Prosecutor Personnel Regulations,’ the mandatory assignment period for prosecutors at the high prosecutor level is one year. Most of these prosecutors had been transferred in August last year and had not fulfilled the mandatory assignment period, but due to the organizational reform, transfers were possible even without completing the mandatory period.

The Ministry of Justice stated, “This personnel reshuffle focused primarily on balancing prosecution reform and organizational stability, promoting renewal and vitality within the prosecution through a comprehensive ‘forward personnel move.’”

It added, “We prioritized prosecutors in criminal and trial divisions who have quietly devoted themselves to human rights and public welfare work, maintained the existing personnel policy of selecting certified specialist prosecutors and outstanding female prosecutors, and made efforts to diversify personnel composition by division and region without bias toward specific departments, networks, or origins.”

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