Kim Osu: "It Was a Matter of Life or Death, So We Could Only Do Our Best"

Kim "Public officials need to respect appointing authority's intent" draws a line on expression of regret
National high prosecutors "Requesting the chief to actively present prosecution opinions at National Assembly appearance"

President Moon Jae-in is shaking hands with Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo in front of the office at the Yeomin-gwan building of the Blue House on the afternoon of the 18th. / Provided by the Blue House [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Kim Oh-soo, Prosecutor General who met with President Moon Jae-in, expressed regret, saying, "I had a desperate mindset, but I think I have no choice but to do my best under the given circumstances until the very end."

After meeting with President Moon on the 18th, Kim presided over a meeting of high prosecutors across the country for about an hour and then spoke to reporters on his way home, revealing these thoughts.

Regarding President Moon's rejection of his resignation, Kim indirectly expressed his intention not to resign again, stating, "Public officials need to respect the will of the appointing authority."

After confirming the results of the meeting between President Moon and Kim, the nationwide high prosecutors issued a statement explaining, "We agreed that there are many contradictions and problems in the bill submitted to the National Assembly, which will cause serious confusion and inconvenience to the public."

They added, "We conveyed these opinions to the Prosecutor General and requested that he actively present the prosecution's views when appearing before the National Assembly in the future," and "We decided to make every effort to actively participate in the National Assembly's discussion process centered on the Prosecutor General and to fully explain the problems of the bill."

Kim Oh-soo voluntarily submitted his resignation the day before after the Democratic Party proposed the ‘Geomsu Wanbak’ (complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority) bill. Originally, Kim was scheduled to appear before the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee that day to explain the unfairness of the Geomsu Wanbak bill, but the meeting was canceled following his voluntary resignation.

However, the atmosphere changed that afternoon when President Moon rejected Kim's resignation and expressed his intention to meet with him. Kim, who had been on leave and in hiding, hurriedly returned to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to prepare for the presidential meeting. Before meeting President Moon, Kim spent about two hours organizing the prosecution's position and related matters.

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