Kim Osu's Resignation Over 'Opposition to Complete Prosecution Reform'... Park Beomgye "Very Troubled"

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye is answering questions from reporters as he leaves the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the morning of the 13th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] On the 17th, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye expressed his position through the Ministry of Justice spokesperson's office regarding Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo's resignation letter submission, stating, "The resignation letter was received before today, and I feel very conflicted."

According to the legal community on the 17th, Prosecutor General Kim recently expressed his intention to resign to Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye.

On the morning of the same day, Kim submitted his resignation letter to Minister Park, saying, "As someone who was involved in the prosecution reform for the first time in 70 years while serving as Vice Minister of Justice in 2019, I deeply feel responsible for the fact that the prosecution has once again been targeted for reform just over a year after the implementation of institutional reform, and that legislative procedures to completely abolish the prosecution's investigative functions are underway."

Additionally, through the spokesperson's office of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Kim released a statement to the press, saying, "First, I humbly apologize to the public and members of the prosecution for the conflicts and turmoil surrounding the so-called 'complete abolition of prosecution investigation' (Geomsu Wanbak) legislative procedures."

He continued, "I believe that a new criminal justice system, which greatly affects the human rights of the people, should be operated for at least 10 years before discussing whether to reform the system. Even in that case, I think it is essential to have public hearings, gather public opinion, and reach bipartisan consensus," he said.

Minister Park had previously recommended Kim Oh-soo for appointment to President Moon Jae-in as the successor to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who resigned in May last year.

Regarding the timing of his resignation, Kim had said, "Submitting a resignation letter is easy. However, it is difficult but my responsibility to prevent the introduction of a flawed system. Nevertheless, if it is introduced, I believe it is only natural to resign even ten times," setting the passage of the bill as his resignation deadline.

The Democratic Party introduced the Geomsu Wanbak bill on the 15th with the signatures of all 172 members. The Democratic Party aims to pass the bill in the National Assembly within April and have it promulgated by the Cabinet on May 3. If the law is promulgated, it will take effect from August. Once the Geomsu Wanbak bill, which partially amends the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act, is enforced, the prosecution will lose investigative authority over six major crimes (corruption, economic crimes, public official crimes, election crimes, defense industry crimes, and major disasters) currently under its jurisdiction.

Ongoing investigations will be transferred to the National Police Agency, and the prosecution will be limited to functions such as filing indictments, proving guilt in trials, requesting supplementary investigations, and investigating crimes committed by high-ranking public officials through the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and police officers.

Prosecutor General Kim's expression of intent to resign was sudden. Until the afternoon of the previous day, Kim had been performing routine duties, praising the arrest of the suspect in the 'Gapyeong Valley murder' case and ordering a strict investigation. It is known that only a very small number of senior officials at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office were informed of Kim's decision just before his resignation announcement.

Thus, Kim joins the list of former Prosecutor Generals who resigned mid-term, following former Prosecutor General and President-elect Yoon Seok-youl.

Kim stated, "As Prosecutor General, I take responsibility for the conflicts and turmoil that have occurred and have submitted my resignation letter to the Minister of Justice." He also said, "I sincerely hope that my submission of the resignation letter will serve as a small opportunity for the members of the National Assembly to reconsider once again during the upcoming legislative process."

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