Minister Jeong Seong-ho criticized remarks made by Im Eun-jeong, head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, which directly criticized his views on the so-called 'prosecution reform,' stating, 'It does not seem appropriate.'
During a meeting of the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts on the same day, Minister Jeong responded to People Power Party lawmaker Seo Beom-soo's question about whether it was appropriate for Im to criticize her direct superior and even the president, saying, 'There are various issues.'
Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Im attended a public hearing titled 'What are the issues of prosecution reform?' at the National Assembly and expressed, 'It seems that Minister Jeong's prosecution reform plan is just about increasing the number of appointed prosecutors, which leaves me feeling devastated,' adding that 'even Minister Jeong is dominated by the prosecution.' This public hearing was hosted by the civic group 'Candlelight Action,' and lawmakers Park Hong-geun of the Democratic Party of Korea and Hwang Un-ha and Park Eun-jeong of the Rebuilding Korea Party.
At the meeting, Im stated, 'Bong-wook, senior secretary to the president for civil affairs, Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo, Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice Seong Sang-heon, Vice Administrator Roh Man-seok of the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office, and Prosecutor Kim Soo-hong are the 'five notorious figures' in prosecution reform,' and added that 'there were also those who asked me to mention this at the public hearing to prevent a personnel disaster like the failure of the Moon Jae-in administration's prosecution reform.'
Minister Jeong commented on the identification of Bong-wook, senior secretary to the president for civil affairs, and Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo as the 'five notorious figures' of prosecution reform by saying, 'They were directly appointed by the president before I became the Minister,' and added, 'I will be mindful of establishing order within the prosecution.'
Minister Jeong responded 'I have not been briefed' when asked by People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sik if he had received a report on the circumstances surrounding Im's attendance at the National Assembly public hearing. He continued, 'If they were trying to follow procedures, I would think they would have reported it to the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office or the High Prosecutors' Office, but I don't know the details.' When Jeong Jeom-sik asked about the possibility of disciplinary action against Im, Minister Jeong replied, 'I have not considered disciplinary action.'
On the 25th of last month, during a policy inquiry by the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts, Minister Jeong said that creating a Serious Crime Investigation Agency under the Ministry of the Interior would lead to a concentration of authority for investigative agencies. He also expressed a reserved stance regarding the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigative powers. Im commented that this implies 'Minister Jeong is dominated by the prosecution.'
Lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sik asked for Minister Jeong's opinion on a critique by Professor Park Chan-woon of Hanyang University Law School, who was negative towards the 'Democratic Party's separation of investigation and prosecution.' Minister Jeong responded, 'Doesn't it mean that the person who starts the investigation should not conclude it? Now, the police also have the authority to conclude and not prosecute,' adding, 'I believe we should operate under such principles to ensure the public will not be inconvenienced.'
He further stated, 'It seems that some are concerned that if the prosecution's supplementary investigative authority is recognized, the prosecution will conduct infinite investigations,' and expressed, 'I hope the lawmakers will discuss the various issues being raised inside and outside in an open-minded manner in the National Assembly.'