Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Park Cheol-woo began official duties on the 21st. With the person identified as the working-level official responsible in the controversy over the decision not to appeal in the Daejang-dong development scandal taking office as the chief of the central prosecutors' office, voices inside and outside the prosecution are saying the top priority is "stabilizing the organization." In a situation of heightened internal distrust, Park faces the burden of pushing simultaneously for restoring trust and responding to livelihood-related cases.
◇ Urgent need to stabilize the organization… heavy responsibility for recovering Daejang-dong criminal revenue
Park was in the chain of command on the 7th when prosecutors decided not to appeal the Daejang-dong development scandal. After Park was appointed the final official responsible for maintaining the Daejang-dong prosecution, discontent and unrest have spread within the central office.
With even the possibility of a spate of resignations by prosecutors being discussed on the front lines, Park said on the way to work that Park understands the resistance of the members and will do Park's best to stabilize the organization.
The first test will be the sentencing hearing scheduled for the 28th in the "Wirye New Town development preferential treatment case." The structure in which Seongnam Development Corporation allegedly funneled benefits to private operators is similar to Daejang-dong, so it is called a "carbon-copy case." As in the Daejang-dong development scandal, former Seongnam Development Corporation planning director Yoo Dong-gyu, attorney Nam Wook, and accountant Jeong Young-hak are among the key defendants.
How the prosecution's sentencing recommendation and decision on whether to appeal are determined is expected to be the first watershed for gauging Park's leadership. Considering that rulings usually come one to two months after the final hearing, a ruling could come as early as within the year.
With controversy over the decision not to appeal in Daejang-dong still lingering, the key in this case is what standards and procedures are applied.
It is also a burden that Park has come to oversee the work of recovering criminal revenue in the Daejang-dong development scandal. Demands are growing for transparency and procedural legitimacy in the recovery process. If the controversy reignites even slightly, not only internal trust but also external assessments could be shaken. Park said Park would receive reports from the responsible department and study possible approaches together.
◇ Urgent need to resolve livelihood and cold cases
Livelihood and cold cases are also piling up before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. Since September, the Fair Trade Investigation Department has been investigating allegations of sugar price collusion by Samyang and CJ CheilJedang. It is also looking into allegations that LS ELECTRIC and Hyosung Heavy Industries colluded in projects ordered by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). All are cases directly tied to people's livelihoods, such as sugar prices and electricity bills.
The problem is a manpower shortage. With special counsels on sedition, Kim Keon-hee, and the death of a Marine on duty all running simultaneously, even at the nation's largest Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, 28 out of an authorized 267 personnel have been seconded to special counsel teams. If standing special counsels on the "loss of the Geonjin talisman seal band" and the "alleged outside pressure not to indict on Coupang severance pay" also begin operating, concerns about work gaps are expected to grow.
Cold cases are also continuing to increase. According to materials received by People Power Party lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Joo Jin-woo from the Ministry of Justice, cold cases at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office rose 18% in two months, from 7,348 at the end of June to 8,690 at the end of August.
Concern is growing especially as livelihood-related cold cases such as fraud, assault, sex crimes, and voice phishing surge. Park said Park would concentrate resources on responding to crimes directly tied to people's lives.