Law professor to spearhead prosecution reform
President Moon Jae-in strolls with newly appointed secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. They are, from left, Kwun Hyuk-ki, head of the press center at Cheong Wa Dae; Cho Kuk, senior secretary for civil affairs; Lee Joung-do, secretary for administrative affairs; Moon; Cho Hyun-ock, senior secretary for personnel affairs; Song In-bae, a Democratic Party of Korea official; Im Jong-seok, chief of staff; and Yoon Young-chan, senior secretary for public affairs. / Joint Press Corps
By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in has appointed Cho Kuk, 52, a well-known law professor at Seoul National University (SNU), as his first senior secretary for civil affairs, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday.
It is quite rare for a person without experience in law enforcement to assume the post in charge of personnel vetting and legal affairs. Cho’s appointment is seen as an indication of Moon’s strong desire to reform law enforcement bodies and make them politically neutral.
“Cho has strong belief in law, principles, human rights and democracy,” Im Jong-seok, presidential chief of staff, told reporters.
Im said that in previous administrations, former prosecutors have usually taken the position and drawn criticism. One of the representative cases was former secretary Woo Byung-woo under the Park Geun-hye administration, who exercised absolute power with a wide range of duties from overseeing the law enforcement authorities to monitoring high-profile officials’ corruption.
“The appointment of a legal expert, who has never been a prosecutor, shows Moon’s strong push to have the law enforcement authorities independent from politics and to reform them,” Im said. “Cho has advocated for minorities and participated in many social issues. We believe he will back up the human rights-centered state management philosophy of Moon, who was a human rights lawyer.”
Cho himself also showed a firm stance about independence, saying the civil affairs secretary should not intervene in an investigation by the prosecution.
“The Korean prosecution has monopolized the right to investigate, indict and request arrest warrants, but it is doubtful whether it has used that almighty power sternly and properly,” Cho said, adding the massive presidential scandal involving Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil would not have happened if the prosecution had used its power properly.
He reiterated Moon’s pledge to set up a separate body to monitor high-ranking public officials’ corruption.
Born in Busan, Cho majored in law at SNU and obtained a doctorate at U.C. Berkeley. He has taught law at his alma mater since 2001. He has never entered politics but openly supported Moon via speeches and campaigns.
Cho Hyun-ock, 61, a visiting professor at Ewha Womans University, was appointed as senior secretary for personnel affairs. Cho is de facto the first woman to take the position _ at the end of the Roh Moo-hyun administration, Jeong Young-ae held the post for three months.
Her appointment is in line with Moon’s pledge to pick more talented women with the aim of creating a balanced government. She studied political diplomacy at Ewha and obtained a doctorate at the University of Heidelberg; and was a presidential secretary under the Roh administration when Moon was the chief of staff. Cho then worked as the head of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s women and family policy affairs office.
Yoon Young-chan, former vice president of Naver, was tapped for senior secretary for public affairs. The 53-year-old was a reporter at the Dong-A Ilbo before moving to Naver. He joined Moon’s camp in March as chief of its social media campaign division.
Lee Joung-do, a former official from the finance ministry, was named secretary for administrative affairs. The position, which is tasked with managing Cheong Wa Dae expenditure and financial issues, used to be taken by the president’s close aides. “The appointment of Lee, a career administrative official, shows Moon’s decision to run the presidential office transparently according to principles,” Im said.
Kwun Hyuk-ki, who was the vice spokesman for Moon during the campaign, was named head of the press center at Cheong Wa Dae. Hong Nam-ki, vice minister of science, ICT and future planning, was appointed head of the Office of Government Policy Coordination.