Prosecutors protest justice minister's suspension of top prosecutor from duty
A banner with a message supporting Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl stands in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Thursday, two days after Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered his suspension from duty and took steps to discipline him over alleged interference in sensitive investigations. Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
Prosecutors are protesting Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's ordering of the suspension from duty of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and her attempts to discipline him over alleged interference in sensitive investigations, saying the move went against the principle of guaranteeing the political neutrality and independence of the prosecution.
The heads of the six high prosecutors' offices in Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju and Suwon have all expressed such concerns in a statement which Daegu office chief prosecutor Jang Young-soo uploaded on the prosecution's intranet, Thursday, on behalf of the six.
“Based on historical experience, the prosecutor general's term of office is a legal device to block political pressure from outside and secure the independence of their duties,” read the statement. “We believe controversies surrounding the justice minister's decisions including exercising her authority to remove Yoon from the chain of command in investigations and suspending Yoon from duty are raising concerns that such moves could undermine the political neutrality of the prosecution.”
Since taking office in January this year, Choo has clashed with Yoon on multiple fronts, including investigations into controversial cases involving Yoon's family members and President Moon Jae-in's aides, as well as sensitive issues related to prosecutorial reform. On Tuesday, Choo ordered the suspension of Yoon and asked for disciplinary measures to be taken against him, citing a range of alleged ethical issues, including his “attempt to censor” judges handling cases involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and questionable ties with the media.
Yoon immediately took legal action to tackle Choo's move, filing an injunction with the Seoul Administrative Court online, Wednesday, to halt the execution of the justice minister's order to suspend him from duty, according to his lawyer. He also lodged a suit to nullify the order.
Junior prosecutors are also protesting Choo's move. They have held meetings at the prosecution's branch offices in different regions since Wednesday to discuss the issue. Some have already issued statements criticizing that the justice minister's order was illegal as it infringed on the prosecution's political independence.
The multiple meetings of junior prosecutors nationwide were the first of their kind since 2013 when then-Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook resigned over allegations that he fathered a son during an extramarital affair. The resignation followed an order from then-Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn to investigate the allegations, and it was widely rumored that Cheong Wa Dae had ordered Hwang to do so as it was uncomfortable with a prosecution investigation into the spy agency's alleged intervention in the presidential election.
The then-main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized the conservative administration led by former President Park Geun-hye for allegedly pulling the strings behind the scenes. But the situation is now the opposite, with the current ruling DPK supporting Choo, while the main opposition People Power Party is criticizing the liberal ruling bloc for abusing its power to take over the prosecution.
According to a survey conducted on 500 adults Wednesday by local pollster Realmeter, 56.3 percent said the minister's decision to suspend the prosecutor general was wrong, while 38.8 percent supported the minister.
Meanwhile, Choo is accelerating the procedure to discipline Yoon, with the ministry announcing a disciplinary committee meeting to deal with the case will be held Dec. 2. The committee is virtually under the control of the justice minister, as it is comprised of Choo, the vice justice minister and five other members ― two of whom are prosecutors, while the remaining three are outside experts selected by the justice minister.