Transition Team Refuses 'Ministry of Justice Work Report'... Supreme Prosecutors' Office Reports Alone on "Abolition of Investigation Command Authority"

Legal and Prosecutors Embarrassed by Work Report Passing... Only the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Reports Normally
Support for Yoon's Pledge Including 'Granting Independent Budget to Prosecution'... Kim Oh-soo Orders "Check Thoroughly"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] The Presidential Transition Committee's Political, Judicial, and Administrative Subcommittee has effectively rejected the Ministry of Justice's work report, which opposed the abolition of the prosecution's investigative command authority and the prosecution's independent budget authority, while the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's work report proceeded normally.

On the 24th, the Transition Committee received a work report from Ye Se-min, Director of Planning and Coordination at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Kwon Sang-dae, Head of Policy Planning. At this meeting, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office reportedly presented ▲ the abolition of the Minister of Justice's investigative command authority ▲ granting the prosecution independent budget formulation rights ▲ and expanding the scope of direct investigations by the prosecution.

Initially, the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office planned to give a joint work report, but the Transition Committee decided to receive separate reports, stating that if the Ministry of Justice compiled and organized the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's opinions for reporting, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's views could be distorted. Accordingly, the work reports were scheduled to be conducted unusually with separate one-hour presentations by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, but the Transition Committee abruptly postponed the Ministry of Justice's report, resulting in the Supreme Prosecutors' Office reporting alone.

The sudden postponement of the Ministry of Justice's work report just over two hours before the scheduled joint report caused confusion for both the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. The unprecedented refusal by the Transition Committee to accept the department's work report left them visibly unsettled.

A prosecution official said, "This is the first time something like this has happened, so we don't know what to do," adding, "All decision-making authority lies with the Transition Committee, so we have no choice but to follow their decision."

During the work report, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office reportedly expressed support for the abolition of the Minister of Justice's investigative command authority to ensure the independence of investigations and political neutrality, as well as for President-elect Yoon Seok-youl's pledge to guarantee the prosecution's independent budget formulation rights. Regarding the expansion of the prosecution's direct investigation scope, they reportedly stated that since the adjustment of investigative authority, the speed of case processing has significantly decreased, and it has become difficult to ascertain the facts.

It was confirmed that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office put considerable effort into the Transition Committee work report. When the reporting method changed to separate reports by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo reportedly instructed on the 18th to revise the report he had previously approved and sent to the Ministry of Justice. Since the Supreme Prosecutors' Office was to report independently, he ordered a detailed review and refinement of the report content.

The awkward atmosphere between the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is expected to continue for some time. Park Beom-gye, the Minister of Justice, who is expected to be replaced after President-elect Yoon's inauguration, has argued against abolishing the investigative command authority, stating that democratic control over the prosecution is necessary. In effect, Minister Park and Prosecutor General Kim are in direct conflict. Regarding matters directly related to the prosecution's authority, Minister Park is pushing the Moon Jae-in administration's policy of 'weakening the prosecution's power,' while Prosecutor General Kim is resisting to expand the prosecution's authority.

The Transition Committee plans to reschedule and conduct the Ministry of Justice's work report before the 29th.

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