Justice minister slammed for inappropriate remarks

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, second from right, talks with first-term lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea ahead of her lecture at the National Assembly, Thursday. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is under fire for making remarks that went beyond her authority as a minister, acting and talking in a high-handed manner to newly-elected lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) last week.

In a lecture to the new lawmakers, Thursday, the former five-term lawmaker recalled a National Assembly session the previous week, where some DPK members asked her about her conflicts with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl ― questions that apparently made her angry.

"Ruling party lawmakers posed me some very hard questions to me," Choo said opining that the questioners had gone too far.

It is rare for a head of a government organization, which is subject to the Assembly's inspection, to assess lawmakers openly.

She indicated that she thinks such lawmakers may want her to quit so they could take the position instead.

"It is not right for a ruling party lawmaker to play the role of an opposition party member, believing 'if I offend the minister sufficiently, I'll be able to take the position later.' You (ruling party members) should not offend ministers," she said.

Choo made other comments that seem intended at elevating her own status over that of the new lawmakers.

She also made rough remarks toward Prosecutor General Yoon, with whom she has been at odds over various issues since her inauguration in January. The latest clash was over an inspection into an alleged pressuring of witnesses to commit perjury by prosecutors in the investigation of Han Myeong-sook, a former prime minister under former president Roh Moo-hyun.

Talking on the issue, Choo said Yoon took a wrong step by not following her directions.

"The prosecutor general gave the prosecution a misdirection although everything could have gone smoothly if he modestly listened to the justice minister's direction," she said. "Prosecutor General Yoon cut off half of my order … I decided to instruct him again … even though it would be a deadly affront against the prosecution."

After the lecture, Choo was highly criticized by political observers and opposition political parties.

"The administration and the Assembly hold each other in check, but Choo went much further, acting like a DPK chairwoman; not a minister," an opposition party member said.

"She regards the lawmakers not as representatives of the people; she regards them only as her underlings," said Kim Jong-chul, the spokesman for the minor opposition Justice Party.

"Overall, her remarks were far too rude and indiscreet. When the people are taking prosecutorial reform seriously, her way of describing the issue is making the core of prosecution reform appear like a power struggle between the minister and the prosecution," Kim added.

Rep. Cho Eung-cheon of the DPK, a former prosecutor, also criticized Choo for making inappropriate remarks, the first such criticism from the ruling bloc.

"I have been in the judiciary field for nearly 30 year and have never heard remarks like hers," Cho wrote on his social network outlets. "That is very embarrassing and left me speechless. Minister Choo needs to adopt some humility if she hopes to reform the prosecution."

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