Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Moon approves ministry's suspension of duty of prosecutor-general
President Moon Jae-in, center, approved a recommendation by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae to suspend Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, left, for two months, Wednesday. In this photo, they are seen together during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae to discuss anti-corruption policies on June 12. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
Justice Minister Choo offers to resign
By Do Je-hae, Jung Da-min
President Moon Jae-in put his stamp of approval on a controversial decision reached by a disciplinary hearing committee under the Ministry of Justice to suspend Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl from duty for two months, Cheong Wa Dae announced Wednesday.
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae briefed the President on the outcome of the hearing during a meeting at the presidential office starting at 5:00 p.m. and also tendered her resignation, according to a presidential aide. The suspension took immediate effect after Moon approved it at 6:30 p.m.
“Under the Prosecutors Disciplinary Act, the President approves the outcome of the disciplinary committee without discretion after a recommendation for approval from the justice minister,” Chung Man-ho, senior presidential aide for public communication, said during a briefing after Moon's meeting with Choo. “The President said that as someone with the power of appointment, he takes the first-ever suspension from duty of a prosecutor-general very seriously and expressed his regret to the people.”
The President also expressed his wish for the incident to be an occasion for the prosecution to “stand upright.” “I hope that this will put an end to the confusion surrounding the disciplinary action for the top prosecutor and I wish to a see a new beginning for the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice.”
The disciplinary committee's decision came early Wednesday morning following a 18-hour session.
Chung Man-ho, senior presidential aide for public communication, bows after a briefing on Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's report to the President, Wednesday, at Cheong Wa Dae on the outcome of a disciplinary hearing for Prosecutor-general Yoon Seok-youl. Yonhap
Justice Minister Choo's offer to resign came after months of calls from the public as well as within and outside the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) following criticism of her unilateral push for prosecutorial reform, which has faced an intense backlash from the prosecution.
“Moon said that he will think about whether or not to accept Choo's resignation,” Chung added.
The presidential office refuted criticism that Moon's approval undermines the independence of the prosecution. “The prosecutor general is guaranteed a term of office unless he is punished or impeached. And as I have said many times, the President has merely accepted the decision of an objective and independent disciplinary committee,” a senior presidential said.
The top prosecutor said he will pursue legal action to contest the ministry's decision to suspend him despite Choo's offer to resign.
In a press release following the ministry's decision, Yoon called the panel's decision "illegal and unfair" and vowed to "correct the error in accordance with due procedures under the Constitution and the law." Cheong Wa Dae said it had no comment on Yoon's position to legally contest the decision.
The President's handling of the case has been seen as one of the primary reasons for the significant drop in his support ratings in recent weeks. He has kept silent over the matter, before issuing a brief apology during a recent meeting with senior aides.
“According to recent surveys, more than 50 percent of the people think Moon should take the blame for the Choo-Yoon conflict,” Shin Yul, a professor at Myongi University, told The Korea Times. “It is not just about a conflict between the justice minister and the prosecutor-general. This has become an issue of the people's trust toward the entire government.”
The presidential office has stressed that allegations it is trying to oust Yoon, who has conducted investigations into sensitive cases involving figures in the Moon administration, are untrue and that the President did not interfere in the process and the outcome of the hearing.
After holding two meeting, Dec. 10 and Tuesday, with the latest lasting over 18 hours until early Wednesday, the committee decided to suspend Yoon for two months, saying he should be held accountable for four out of six allegations of ethical and legal misconduct.
The four allegations included ordering illegal surveillance of a judge, impeded an investigation into illegal ties between the prosecution and a media firm while also impeding the ministry's inspection of the case, and breached his obligation to remain politically neutral. The other two allegations that Yoon had improper contacts with a media owner and did not cooperate with the ministry's audit of him were dismissed.
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae speaks during a press conference at the central government complex, Wednesday. She visited Moon later in the day to report to the President on the results of the disciplinary hearing for the chief prosecutor. Yonhap
Criticisms from political circle
As the decision to suspend Yoon came at the same time the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was pushing to launch a special investigative body to look into high-profile corruption cases, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) strongly criticized the ruling bloc, saying the purpose of punishing Yoon was aimed at excluding him from investigations related to corruption investigations being conducted into figures belonging to the DPK.
“It became clear why the living power (the ruling bloc) was so anxious to oust the prosecutor general from office,” said PPP spokesman Choi Hyung-du. “The Gestapo horror investigative unit would be launched in the two-month period, tying Prosecutor General Yoon's hands and feet, to purge the opposition party while concealing the crimes of the ruling bloc.”
Keum Tae-sup, a former lawmaker who left the DPK in October citing the ruling bloc's "divisive and arrogant" stance on controversial issues, also criticized the party for not focusing on other urgent issues such as the worsening situation of the country's real estate market and the COVID-19 pandemic, while putting too much energy to push ahead with President Moon Jae-in's prosecutorial reform policies.
“I wonder if the two-month suspension of the prosecutor general could be a way of reforming the prosecution,” Keum wrote on Facebook. “What the people want from the President is to find issues that we should think over together and bring the people together to focus on such matters. … The issue we should focus on now is surely the issue of COVID-19 situation including acquiring vaccines and quarantine measures, and supporting retailers hit hard by the pandemic, and the real estate issue.”