Daegum "Yoon Seok-yeol's Pledge to 'Abolish the Prosecutor General's Investigation Command Authority' Supported"

Park Beom-gye is 'Opposed'

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] It has been reported that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office expressed support for President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign pledge to abolish the Ministry of Justice Minister's investigative directive authority.

According to the legal community on the 21st, ahead of the Ministry of Justice's scheduled briefing to the Presidential Transition Committee on the 24th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office recently conveyed this position to the Ministry of Justice with the approval of Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated that although the Minister of Justice can generally control the prosecution through supervisory or personnel authority, directing or supervising the Prosecutor General on specific cases regarding detention and prosecution does not align with the prosecution's independence or political neutrality. However, considering differences in opinion with the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office plans to continue consultations with the Ministry before the transition committee briefing.

Meanwhile, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, recently expressed opposition to abolishing the investigative directive authority in a media interview, saying, "Controversies over fairness will intensify." He stated, "I do not believe that abolishing the investigative directive authority guarantees the prosecution's political neutrality or fairness of investigations," adding, "If the investigative directive authority is removed, there will be no way to verify frontline prosecutorial decisions or investigation results."

It has not yet been decided whether the Ministry of Justice will include the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's opinion in its report to the transition committee. Some expect that the Ministry will comprehensively include potential problems, side effects, and difficulties related to implementing President-elect Yoon's campaign pledge in the report.

Seoul Seocho-dong Supreme Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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