Top prosecutor pressured to resign

By Na Jeong-ju

Prosecutor General Han Sang-dae is facing mounting calls from prosecutors to take responsibility for the corruption and sex scandals that have shaken their profession.

District prosecution offices in Seoul, Suwon and Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province have held meetings to discuss what they call “the biggest crisis that has ever hit the prosecution.”

Some prosecutors have called for the immediate resignation of their boss to jumpstart any talks on reforming the prosecution, participants said Tuesday.

Later in the day, the prosecution said Han will announce a set of reform measures as early as Friday, without commenting on the prosecutors’ demand for his resignation.

“The measures may include various proposals from experts on how to enhance our services for the public. He will also offer an apology for the recent scandals,” a spokesman said.

Amid growing public criticism of the prosecution, Han said last week that he was considering abolishing the Central Investigation Bureau at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, which has been criticized for conducting biased probes.

However, the public is skeptical about his reform pledges. The prosecution has often been criticized for being soft on prosecutors involved in corruption cases.

The main opposition Democratic United Party has urged Han as well as Justice Minister Kwon Jae-jin to take responsibility for the scandals and resign immediately.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office will convene a meeting of chiefs from six district offices, Thursday, to discuss their demands. They will also discuss proposals from some junior prosecutors that the prosecution share investigation rights with police and strengthen the punishment of “corrupt” prosecutors.

The prosecution is now reeling from the scandals that critics say have demonstrated its poor work ethic.

On Monday, a court rejected the prosecution’s request to issue an arrest warrant for a 30-year-old prosecutor, surnamed Jeon, who allegedly had sex with a 42-year-old female suspected of shoplifting while questioning her at his office in early November.

The prosecution brought bribery charges against Jeon, claiming the sexual acts were “a kind of bribery” offered by the female suspect to seek leniency from Jeon.

“The prosecution’s conclusion that the sex was a kind of bribery is quite questionable and unprecedented,” Judge Wi Hyun-seok from the Seoul Central District Court said. “An arrest warrant for Jeon is deemed unnecessary because he has been cooperative in this probe and is unlikely to flee.”

The prosecution protested the rejection and decided to proceed with a second request.

The sex scandal came on the heels of a massive bribery scandal involving Kim Kwang-joon, a senior prosecutor from the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

Kim was arrested last week for receiving a total of 900 million won ($826,000) from Cho Hee-pal, the mastermind of the country’s biggest-ever pyramid scheme, and Eugene Group, a mid-sized conglomerate, in exchange for influence peddling.