‘Appointment of Chief Prosecutors’ Without Prosecutor General... To Be Announced This Afternoon

First 'Female High Prosecutor' and Special Investigation Experts Promoted... Prosecutors from Training Academy Classes 28-29 Elevated to Chief Prosecutor
Inside and Outside Prosecution, Next Prosecutor General Seen as 'Honorary Position'... Controversy over Bypassing the Chief Expected to Continue

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] The Ministry of Justice is expected to carry out personnel appointments for senior prosecutors at the level of high prosecutors and district prosecutors on the 22nd. With the Prosecutor General position vacant, the large-scale regular personnel reshuffle is likely to continue sparking controversy over 'bypassing the Prosecutor General.'

Inside and outside the prosecution, there is analysis that the next Prosecutor General, who cannot participate in the personnel decisions, may effectively become an 'honorary position.' It is expected to be difficult for a Prosecutor General who cannot express opinions on personnel matters to take control of the organization. The senior staff at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, who need to work closely with the Prosecutor General, are also facing difficulties as the Prosecutor General cannot directly select them, suggesting that the appointment process for the Prosecutor General will also face challenges.

The Prosecution Personnel Committee held a closed meeting the day before and stated, "Personnel appointments at the level of prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and above (high prosecutors and prosecutors) will be conducted fairly, considering expertise and leadership comprehensively based on ability and commitment to fairness, in line with public expectations."

The key points to watch in this personnel reshuffle are whether the first female high prosecutor in the history of the prosecution will be appointed and whether the personnel policy emphasizing 'specialized prosecutors' will be maintained. No Jeong-yeon, Chief Prosecutor of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 25), who is also mentioned as a candidate for the next Prosecutor General, is likely to be promoted to high prosecutor.

Through organizational restructuring, the number of prosecutors who can be assigned as research fellows at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, classified as non-executive positions, has increased from 4 to an additional 5, totaling 9. This has created up to 12 positions for prosecutors. Prosecutors or senior public officials at the Na grade can be appointed as research fellows at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

First, there is a possibility that aides to the Minister of Justice from the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), appointed during the Moon Jae-in administration, will be replaced in this personnel reshuffle. The Moon administration converted key director-level positions in the Ministry of Justice into externally open positions under the pretext of 'de-prosecutorization' of the Ministry of Justice and appointed many Minbyun members to these posts. However, due to a lack of expertise and below-expectation work performance, there were considerable complaints within the Ministry of Justice.

Currently, among the senior officials of the Ministry of Justice, Lee Sang-gap, Legal Affairs Director, and Wi Eun-jin, Human Rights Bureau Director, are from Minbyun. According to the Civil Service Act, director-level officials in the Ministry of Justice have guaranteed retirement at age 60, so these two can only have their posts changed through personnel appointments but cannot be dismissed without their consent. Accordingly, it is highly likely that they will be assigned as research fellows at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in this reshuffle.

Promotions to prosecutor general are expected to be centered around Judicial Research and Training Institute classes 28 and 29. From class 28, Shin Eung-seok, prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Lim Hyun, head of the Criminal Division at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, and Lee Jin-dong, head of the Inspection Division at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, are likely to be promoted to prosecutor general. From class 29, Shin Bong-su, prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Hwang Byung-joo, head of the Joint Investigation Team for Overseas Illegal Assets Recovery, Park Se-hyun, chief of the Eastern Branch of Busan District Prosecutors' Office, and Jeong Jin-woo, first deputy chief prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, are mentioned.

Kim Seok-woo, prosecutor at Seoul High Prosecutors' Office (class 27), who is serving as the head of the Constitutional Issues Research TF team in the Ministry of Justice's 'Unconstitutionality Response' task force created to respond to the 'Prosecution Reform Act,' is also reportedly a strong candidate for promotion to prosecutor general.

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