Prosecutor's Key Department May Announce One-Point Personnel Changes as Early as Today

Central District Prosecutors' Office and Anti-Corruption Investigation Division
Accelerate Handling of Daejang-dong, Lime, and Optimus Cases Ahead of Investigation Authority Removal
New Chief Prosecutor "Talent Recruitment" Rumored
Cautious Moves in Mid-Level Personnel Changes
Resignation Wave Expected if Yoon Faction is Favored

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is performing the national ceremony at the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, is expected to carry out a 'one-point' prosecution personnel reshuffle as early as the 3rd.

The Ministry of Justice recently considered a plan to prioritize personnel changes only for key prosecution offices investigating important cases. Inside and outside the prosecution, the Anti-Corruption and Strong Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the Fair Trade Investigation Division, and the Joint Investigation Team for Financial and Securities Crimes of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office have been pointed out as targets for this personnel reshuffle. In legal circles, it is rumored that Dan Seong-han, Chief of the Criminal Division 1 at Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office (48, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 32), will be appointed Chief of Special Investigation Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office; Kim Young-chul, Head of the Special Prosecution Team 2 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (49, Class 33), will be Special Investigation Division 2 Chief; Kang Baek-shin, Chief Prosecutor at Dongbu District Prosecutors' Office (49, Class 34), will be Special Investigation Division 3 Chief; Lee Jung-seop, Chief of Criminal Division 2 at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office (51, Class 32), will be appointed Head of the Fair Trade Investigation Division; and Eom Hee-jun, Chief Prosecutor of the Important Economic Crimes Investigation Division at the Southern District Prosecutors' Office (49, Class 32), is strongly considered for the Head of the Securities Crime Joint Investigation Team at the Southern District Prosecutors' Office. The Ministry of Justice is receiving consent forms for personnel verification from prosecutors of the Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 32, who are candidates for promotion to Deputy Chief Prosecutor, by this day. After personnel verification, an official personnel reshuffle is expected to be carried out. Personnel changes for positions above Chief Prosecutor are likely to take place at the end of this month, and those for Deputy Chief Prosecutors and Chief Prosecutors may occur next month.

The one-point personnel reshuffle is anticipated as the Ministry of Justice recently decided to complete judicial processing of important cases before September, when the prosecution's investigative authority will be stripped. Representative cases include the Daejang-dong urban development project preferential treatment and lobbying case handled by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and the Lime and Optimus fund redemption suspension and fraud cases handled by the Southern District Prosecutors' Office. On the front lines, it is rumored that the newly appointed Chief Prosecutors on the 23rd of last month recently told the Ministry of Justice that "there are no capable prosecutors, making investigations difficult," and requested personnel changes for at least some departments.

The Ministry of Justice is somewhat cautious about the mid-level prosecution personnel reshuffle. The atmosphere inside the prosecution is different from when the high-level personnel reshuffle was carried out one day after Minister Han's inauguration. At that time, there was a perception that it was part of normalizing the prosecution, so there was little opposition to the personnel results. However, ahead of this mid-level personnel reshuffle, it is reported that inside the prosecution, there is a forecast of significant opposition and a wave of resignations if special investigation prosecutors, especially the so-called 'Yoon Seok-youl faction,' secure key positions again as in the high-level reshuffle. A wave of resignations among frontline prosecutors could lead to gaps in investigations of important cases. Minister Han has been reserved regarding prosecution personnel, stating, "We will proceed according to the usual procedures." The atmosphere of prosecutors' departures has already begun. The day before, Choi Chang-min, Head of Public Investigation Division 1 (50, Class 32), Kim Kyung-geun, Head of Public Investigation Division 2 (49, Class 33), and Jin Hyun-il, Head of Criminal Division 10 (50, Class 32), who were in charge of public security investigations at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, expressed their intention to resign.

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