As the government moves forward with the selection of its first Prosecutor General, Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo has decided not to participate in the process, even if he is nominated as a candidate.
According to legal sources on October 21, Lee expressed his intention to abstain from the process as a nominee, stating that "the appointment process for the inaugural Prosecutor General of the Public Prosecutors' Office needs to be conducted more fairly and transparently."
The Ministry of Justice established a Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee on October 13 to recommend candidates for the position of the first head of the Public Prosecutors' Office. The public nomination process began on October 14 and will conclude at 6 p.m. today.
As acting Minister of Justice, Lee will consider the nominations and propose individuals he deems suitable for the candidate review committee.
The committee will evaluate the qualifications of the candidates and recommend at least three individuals to the Minister of Justice, who will then respect the committee's recommendations in making the final nomination.
The President will select one candidate from those recommended, who will then undergo a confirmation hearing before being officially appointed.
Lee's decision to abstain from the nomination process appears to be a measure to avoid any potential conflict of interest, given his role in the nomination.
In addition to Lee, other names being discussed as potential candidates for the next Prosecutor General include Acting Prosecutor General Lee Jeong-hyeon (Deputy Chief of the Public Prosecutors' Office), Park Cheol-woo (Chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office), and Seong Sang-heon (Chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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