Ministry of Justice Appeals Against First Trial Ruling Declaring 'Prosecutor Blacklist Unconstitutional'

Ministry of Justice [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice has appealed the first-instance ruling that deemed the so-called 'Prosecutor Blacklist (Prosecutor Intensive Management System)' unconstitutional.

On the 10th, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement saying, "The first-instance ruling did not acknowledge the prosecutor blacklist," and explained the reason for the appeal, stating, "While the purpose of the system is legitimate, only partial damages were recognized due to unclear reasons for selecting the targeted prosecutors."

The Civil Division 41 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Bong-gi) ruled on the 22nd of last month in the first-instance damages lawsuit filed by Im Eun-jeong, head prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office's Major Economic Crime Investigation Unit, who claimed she suffered personnel disadvantages after being included on the prosecutor intensive management system list, ordering the government to pay 10 million won in damages.

Hwang Myung-sun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized this the day before, saying, "The court acknowledged the Ministry of Justice's management of the prosecutor blacklist," and added, "The court ordered the submission of the list, but the Ministry of Justice, which should uphold law and principles, is engaging in an absurd act of refusal."

In response, the Ministry of Justice stated, "Although we were unable to submit the Prosecutor Personnel Principles Manual and intensive inspection materials related to Prosecutor Im to the court, this was due to unavoidable circumstances such as the abolition of the prosecutor intensive management system in February 2019," and rebutted, "The claims by Prosecutor Im that 'disciplinary and personnel measures were illegal and that she suffered workplace harassment' were not recognized at all."

Regarding the first-instance court's judgment that deemed the system unconstitutional, the Ministry said, "The system was newly established in 2012 to restore the credibility of the prosecution damaged by misconduct cases and was based on administrative rules enacted through proper procedures," and added, "In the appeal trial, we plan to submit related materials to the fullest extent permitted by law to correct the first-instance ruling."

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