Prosecution embroiled in in-house feud

Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il is surrounded by reporters asking questions as he arrives at his office in Seoul, Wednesday. /Yonhap

By Kim Hyun-bin

Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il Wednesday denied all accusations that he exerted pressure to impede an ongoing investigation into a case of hiring irregularities. His move came amid an erupting dispute in the prosecution following resistance by a group of prosecutors in defiance of Moon's alleged intervention in the case.

"It is my duty to oversee and manage the prosecution so that our investigations are exercised in a proper and fair way," Moon said. "I will make sure every step in the probe is properly carried out to reach a fair conclusion."

Kangwon Land, the state-owned casino, has come under growing criticism for improper recruitment practices, which have been linked to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

The investigative team, led by the head of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, Yang Bu-nam, said in a statement that in May, it reported to the top prosecutor to seek a court warrant to arrest Rep. Kweon, but it was not approved. Instead, Moon ordered Yang's team to set up an advisory panel to determine the probe's next course.

The prosecutor's probe was started after a recently revealed case that there has been pressure by the head of the regional prosecutor's office not to seek an arrest warrant of those involved including Rep. Kweon and other high-ranking officials.

The investigative team held a press conference Tuesday, claiming Moon blocked their move to seek arrest warrants.

“Moon has broken his promise to guarantee independence,” said Yang.

Justice Minister Park Sang-ki called on the prosecution to swiftly continue the corruption probe.

“It's a shame that the dispute has shaken the prosecution and caused concern for the public,” Park said. “I advised the prosecutor-general to preside the case based on law and principles so it won't raise any further doubt.”

In February, prosecutor Ahn Mee-hyun first raised an allegation against the alleged intervention in the Kangwon Land investigation by prosecutors who are not part of the team.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office denied it at the time, saying there would be no outside pressure, even from Prosecutor General Moon.?