Minister Jeong Seong-ho directed the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office on the 29th to conduct investigations on the crime of abuse of authority against public officials and the crime of breach of trust against corporations carefully. This is in response to the president's remark that excessive prosecutor investigations lead public officials to engage in passive administration and corporations to become apprehensive in management.
The Ministry of Justice stated that Minister Jeong conveyed an 'advisory on precautionary matters during investigations and handling of incidents regarding decision-making in public service and corporate activities' to the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office on that day.
In the directive, Minister Jeong noted, 'There have been consistent concerns raised that recently, the strict evaluation of policy decisions made while performing public duties is being retrospectively assessed as abuse of authority, or that strategic decisions made in corporate management are being broadly investigated and prosecuted for breach of trust, deepening the phenomenon of risk aversion within both public and corporate sectors.'
He added, 'This could lead to passive administration among public officials, hindering the implementation of creative work for the people, and on the corporate side, there is a worry that it could cause a contraction in management due to risk-averse sentiments.'
Accordingly, Minister Jeong instructed to fully listen to testimonies from individuals involved in the cases, such as public officials and corporate leaders. He also directed that relevant evidence and legal principles be carefully evaluated in light of accumulated precedents. Furthermore, he stated that cases where criminal liability is clearly absent should be resolved swiftly.
Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung stated at a meeting with senior aides and secretaries on the 24th, 'We need to block the downsides of excessive policy audits and activate proactive administration.' He also mentioned, 'We will handle abuse of authority investigations with caution and consider legal amendments to prevent the misuse of the crime of abuse of authority.'