Jin Joong-kwon: "At Least the Minister of Justice Should Not Be a Politician"

Published 05 Nov.2020 08:02(KST)

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae attended the plenary session of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized the conflict between the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution, saying, "At the very least, the Minister of Justice should not be a politician."

On the night of the 4th, Jin posted on his Facebook, calling it "the lesson of the Chu Mi-ae incident," and argued, "Even if other departments are different, the Minister of Justice should be a non-politician and civilianized."

He also said, "Raising a warrior of a specific political party to the head of a department responsible for the country's justice and fairness turns the whole country into a battlefield," and emphasized, "Calling someone with no political experience and zero political sense a 'politician'?the real politician is not the Prosecutor General but the Minister."

Then, Jin shared an article containing Chu's statement toward Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, saying, "There can be no political Prosecutor General, nor should there be," along with Chu's profile listing multiple political careers.

Earlier that day, Minister Chu criticized Prosecutor General Yoon at the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee comprehensive policy questioning, stating, "As the head of a power institution requiring political neutrality, a political Prosecutor General alone makes it impossible for more than half of the people to trust him."

Minister Chu, a former judge, entered politics by running for and winning the 15th general election in 1996 in the Seoul Gwangjin-gu district. Since then, she has been active in politics, serving five terms and becoming the first female leader of the ruling party.