Im Eun-jung (30th Judicial Research and Training Institute) Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor recently claimed that the prosecution's supplement investigation authority should be abolished, leading to a series of critical posts by prosecutors on the internal network. Prosecutors responded to Director General Im, asking, "Haven't you ever conducted a supplement investigation?" and "What kind of legal professionals are you interacting with?"
On the 1st, Director General Kang Su-nana of the Major Economic Crimes Investigation Division of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office wrote an article titled "Fashion shows, cooking competitions, and supplement investigations" on the internal network, Ipros. Director General Kang noted, "The prosecution reform being discussed now is like holding a fashion show in ragged clothes, producing dishes in a cooking competition without knowing the taste, and then expecting the prosecutor to bear all the responsibility based on this strange logic."
Kim Ji-hye, a prosecutor in the Criminal Division 1 of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, on the 30th of last month, asked on Ipros, "Is it someone who has actually handled cases that says the prosecution should not conduct supplement investigations at all?" She then directed her remarks toward Director General Im, asking, "If you are someone who does not live a legal life but only has a 'previous legal incarnation,' do you interact with legal professionals who live the current legal life and understand how cases are processed through various procedures?"
Kong Bong-sook, a prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office who previously served as Deputy Prosecutor General of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, wrote to Director General Im on the 29th of last month, saying, "If you have ever worked as a prosecutor, you would never have said such things" and added, "I hope you come to your senses." Kong remarked, "If you haven't conducted a supplement investigation, what exactly have you been doing for over 20 years? Have you only been writing indictments and non-prosecution documents? That is essentially the same as not doing any work."
The prosecutors noted that such criticisms arose after Director General Im's remarks on the 29th of last month during a public hearing held at the National Assembly, where she stated the need to 'abolish the prosecution's supplement investigation authority.' Director General Im said, "While I may understand statement taking or interviews, if we leave investigations to something called supplemental investigations, the prosecution will merely change its signboard to the indictment office, effectively preserving its investigative authority."
The Democratic Party of Korea is pushing for prosecution reform that includes the abolition of the prosecution's supplement investigation authority. In response, Minister Jeong Seong-ho expressed an opposing stance. Then, Director General Im criticized Minister Jeong, saying he was 'dominated by the prosecution,' while insisting that the prosecution's supplement investigation authority should be abolished.
Meanwhile, Director General Im has been critical of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, having been assigned to the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office and Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, which are evaluated as less prominent posts. After the inauguration of Lee Jae-myung's administration, she was promoted to prosecutor general without serving as a vice administrator.