[President Yoon Seok-yeol Elected] Will the 'Yoon Line' Reclaim Key Positions... Focus on Prosecutor Personnel Changes

Will Yoon's Closest Ally 'Han Dong-hoon' Make a Comeback... Expected Appointment as Seoul Central District Prosecutor
Possibility of Key Positions for Demoted 'Yoon Faction'↑... Prosecutor General's Authority Likely to Expand

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is performing an uppercut ceremony for supporters in front of the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 10th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] With the birth of the ‘Yoon Seok-yeol administration,’ a major upheaval is expected within the prosecution. In particular, attention is focused on whether prosecutors from the ‘Yoon Seok-yeol line’ within the prosecution will regain key positions.

On the 10th, inside and outside the legal community, there is growing weight behind the prediction that personnel who had been sidelined for the past two years as part of the ‘Yoon line’ will be revived.

After the so-called ‘Cho Kuk incident,’ Lee Doo-bong, Chief Prosecutor of Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office (58, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 25), who was a close aide to President-elect Yoon when he was Prosecutor General, Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (49, class 27), and Lee Won-seok, Chief Prosecutor of Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office (53, class 27), were demoted and moved around the provinces. Among mid-level executives, Shin Ja-yong, Head of the Litigation Department at Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (50, class 28), Shin Bong-soo, Prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (52, class 29), Song Kyung-ho, Prosecutor at Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office (52, class 29), and Yang Seok-jo, Human Rights Protection Officer at Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office (49, class 29), who led the investigation of deep-rooted evils during the Moon Jae-in administration, repeatedly failed to be promoted to Chief Prosecutor due to pressure from personnel aligned with the current government.

A key point in the prosecution personnel reshuffle to be carried out after President-elect Yoon’s inauguration is the position of Chief Prosecutor Han, who is a close aide of Yoon. Chief Prosecutor Han has defended President-elect Yoon from the sidelines, clashing with ruling party figures such as former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. Han was a key figure who worked closely with Yoon in major investigations such as the Hyundai Motor corruption case and the special prosecution of the Park Geun-hye administration’s state affairs manipulation.

President-elect Yoon’s affection for Chief Prosecutor Han, regarded as a representative ‘special investigation prosecutor’ within the prosecution, is known to be exceptional. In an interview conducted last month, Yoon mentioned, "Why can’t Chief Prosecutor Han become the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office?" As he expressed trust in Chief Prosecutor Han, it is highly likely that Han will be appointed to the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, known as one of the prosecution’s ‘Big 2’ posts.

Within the prosecution, there are many positive evaluations of Chief Prosecutor Han, such as "He conducts investigations that are almost perfect" and "He develops investigations in directions prosecutors never imagined." However, some speculate that due to Han’s involvement in various lawsuits following the Cho Kuk incident, it may be difficult for him to assume key positions such as Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Therefore, there is growing analysis that even President-elect Yoon, who declared the investigation of deep-rooted evils during the Moon Jae-in administration, may find it burdensome to put Chief Prosecutor Han at the forefront of investigations.

There is also speculation that the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office may be upgraded again to the level of High Prosecutor, and a senior prosecutor ahead of Chief Prosecutor Han in rank may be appointed to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Previously, in 2017, President Moon Jae-in downgraded the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to the level of District Prosecutor when promoting Yoon to Chief Prosecutor.

In addition, President-elect Yoon is expected to take measures such as reorganizing the system or revising Ministry of Justice regulations to raise the morale of prosecution members, which has fallen to the bottom over the past two years through various incidents. There is a high possibility of restoring or expanding the greatly reduced powers of the Prosecutor General.

President-elect Yoon has already announced plans to abolish the investigative directive authority exercised by the Minister of Justice over the Prosecutor General to prevent political neutrality from being compromised, and to improve the system so that the prosecution’s budget is prepared separately from the Ministry of Justice. This aims to block indirect control of the prosecution through the budget.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor A said, "It seems that efforts will be made to restore an abnormal organization to normal," but added, "However, since the Democratic Party holds a majority of seats, it will not be an easy situation."

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