Choi Kang-wook: "Moon said he regrets appointing Yoon as Prosecutor General"

OhmyTV Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Story of University President's Background Check

There has been a claim that former President Moon Jae-in mentioned regretting the appointment of Yoon Seok-yeol as Prosecutor General during his tenure. Choi Kang-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former Secretary for Public Office Discipline at the Blue House under the Moon Jae-in administration, revealed in an interview with 'OhmyTV' on the 7th that during the 2019 Prosecutor General personnel verification process, "I submitted several reports stating that 'Candidate Yoon Seok-yeol was unfit'." Choi said, "For public officials undergoing confirmation hearings, the verification results are classified into four grades: 'no flaws,' 'some flaws,' 'considerable flaws,' and 'serious flaws.' Candidate Yoon was clearly in the 'serious flaws' category."

Regarding the reason for reporting Candidate Yoon as having 'serious flaws,' Choi explained, "(As a special investigation unit prosecutor) he had shown a ruthless demeanor during investigations and was known as the originator of so-called 'hunting-style investigations.'" He added, "Putting aside personal life issues, various public behaviors he exhibited were fundamentally problematic for a Prosecutor General under the Moon Jae-in administration."

Choi Kang-wook, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He continued, "When looking at the various actions and attitudes Candidate Yoon displayed, there was consensus that he possessed many of the corrupt customs ingrained in the prosecution and was someone who would find it difficult to break away from them," adding, "He was seen as a representative figure of those who mistakenly believe that the world can only improve through the maximization of prosecutorial power, and was considered dangerous."

When asked, "Then why did former President Moon appoint Candidate Yoon as Prosecutor General despite this?" Choi replied, "That is something I cannot know." However, Choi conveyed that later, during a meal with secretaries from the Office of Public Office Discipline, former President Moon said, "My original plan failed, and I regret appointing Prosecutor General Yoon."

Choi claimed, "During the interview process for the Prosecutor General candidate, (Candidate Yoon) appealed that 'he was the one who inevitably had to share the fate of the Moon Jae-in administration and could never betray it,'" and added, "He acted or lied to forcibly align with the direction of prosecutorial reform that the Moon Jae-in administration aimed for." He continued, "If there had been a clearly better alternative, the appointment would have been different, but among people with similar flaws, the person who ultimately succeeded was the one who actively deceived (former President Moon) the most." He added, "And it seems that there was a very deliberate preparatory work done to create such a situation."

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