The ruling party is facing backlash over the Ministry of Justice's proposal to maintain the current number of prosecutors in its reorganization plan for the Prosecutor's Office. There are also calls to reconsider the appointment of the newly nominated chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency due to past statements.
According to reports from the political arena on September 9, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min criticized the proposal during a press conference the previous day, stating, "Maintaining the existing investigative personnel in the Prosecutor's Office is a Trojan horse for the revival of a political prosecution."
He further asserted, "The establishment of a 'Judicial Control Department' to oversee other agencies that should be controlled is a clear case of hypocrisy."
The Ministry of Justice's proposal, announced on September 4, aims to keep the current number of 2,292 prosecutors without reduction and includes the establishment of a Judicial Control Department to review cases not prosecuted by investigative agencies.
Former Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae also pointed out on Facebook on September 7 that the current proposal does not completely eliminate the shadow of investigation, leaving room for misunderstandings that prosecutors' investigative powers could be revived at any time.
Lee Seong-yoon, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former prosecutor, shared Jeong's post on Facebook, stating, "Simply changing the name from the Prosecutor's Office to the Prosecutor's Office is not true reform. To achieve genuine reform, we must align personnel, organization, and regulations with the complete separation of investigation and prosecution."
There are also calls within the ruling party to reconsider the appointment of Kim Ji-yong, the newly nominated chief of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, appointed by President Lee Jae-myung.
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joo-min stated on Facebook the day before that Kim, while serving as the head of the Criminal Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2022, publicly opposed legislation aimed at reducing prosecutorial powers by advocating for the necessity of direct investigations. He requested that if Kim's clear philosophy on the principle of 'separation of investigation and prosecution' is not confirmed, the appointment should be reconsidered.
The Justice Innovation Party, aligned with the ruling party, has also expressed public opposition. Kang Kyung-sook, deputy floor leader of the Justice Innovation Party, stated during a party meeting the day before, "It is regrettable that another prosecutor has been nominated, and we cannot agree to the appointment."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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