Three of the chief prosecutors who issued a collective statement protesting the prosecution's decision not to appeal in the "Daejang-dong development scandal" have been appointed as research fellows at the Legal Research and Training Institute. Jeong Yu-mi, a research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute with the rank of chief prosecutor (Supreme Prosecutors' Office-level), strongly criticized the decision not to appeal on the prosecution's intranet and was appointed as a prosecutor (line prosecutor) at the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office.
The Ministry of Justice said on the 11th that it carried out personnel appointments, newly assigning four prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level and transferring four others, effective on the 15th.
With this reshuffle, Daegu District Prosecutors' Office chief Park Hyeok-su, Busan District Prosecutors' Office chief Kim Chang-jin, and Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office chief Park Hyeon-cheol were appointed as research fellows at the Legal Research and Training Institute. On the 10th of last month, they issued a statement to then acting prosecutor general Noh Man-seok (deputy chief prosecutor at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office) saying, "The decision not to appeal is incomprehensible. Explain the circumstances and legal grounds."
A total of 18 district chiefs joined the statement at the time. Ruling party figures then called the chief prosecutors protesting the decision not to appeal in the Daejang-dong development scandal "insubordinate" and argued they should be demoted to line prosecutors. Afterward, the most senior among them (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 29), Suwon District Prosecutors' Office chief Park Jae-eok, tendered resignation and retired.
Research fellow Jeong Yu-mi (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 30) was appointed in this reshuffle from a Supreme Prosecutors' Office-level chief prosecutor to a prosecutor at the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office. The Ministry of Justice has so far divided positions into ▲Supreme Prosecutors' Office-level (chief prosecutors, high prosecutors, Supreme Prosecutors' Office executives) ▲high prosecutors' office level (deputy chiefs and division chiefs at high and district prosecutors' offices) ▲"line prosecutors," and assigned different authorities and posts accordingly.
In effect, Research fellow Jeong was demoted from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level to a line prosecutor. In the history of the prosecution, a demotion of a chief prosecutor is rare, with a comparable case being in 2007, when then Legal Research and Training Institute planning director Kwon Tae-ho was transferred as a line prosecutor amid controversy over a "case-fixing solicitation."
In a post on the prosecution's intranet on the 10th of last month, Research fellow Jeong wrote, "Acting chief Noh will go down in the entire history of the prosecution as the most disgracefully subservient prosecutor to those in power," adding, "You uttered 'my responsibility,' so take responsibility and resign from the post."
New Suwon District Prosecutors' Office chief Kim Bong-hyeon (Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 31) will oversee maintaining the indictment at the first trial and the related investigations in the case of the president's SSANGBANGWOOL remittances to North Korea. Jeong Ji-yeong, head of the Goyang Branch Office, was promoted to Daegu District Prosecutors' Office chief; Kim Nam-sun, prosecutor at the Ulsan Branch of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office, to Busan District Prosecutors' Office chief; and Kim Jong-u, head of the Bucheon Branch Office, to Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office chief.
Regarding this reshuffle, the Ministry of Justice said it "appointed a Supreme Prosecutors' Office-level prosecutor to a high prosecutors' office prosecutor for causing misunderstandings about the prosecution's political neutrality and fairness in performing duties and repeatedly disparaging internal members with inappropriate expressions, thereby damaging the organization's honor and trust." It added, "This is to restore discipline within the prosecution and refresh its atmosphere."
The following are the personnel appointments for senior prosecution officials.
◇New appointments at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level
▲Suwon District Prosecutors' Office chief: Kim Bong-hyeon, currently prosecutor at the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office
▲Daegu District Prosecutors' Office chief: Jeong Ji-yeong, currently head of the Goyang Branch Office
▲Busan District Prosecutors' Office chief: Kim Nam-sun, currently prosecutor at the Ulsan Branch of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office
▲Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office chief: Kim Jong-u, currently head of the Bucheon Branch Office (on dispatch to the special counsel for insurrection)
◇Transfers at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level
▲Legal Research and Training Institute research fellow: Park Hyeok-su, currently Daegu District Prosecutors' Office chief
▲Legal Research and Training Institute research fellow: Kim Chang-jin, currently Busan District Prosecutors' Office chief
▲Legal Research and Training Institute research fellow: Park Hyeon-cheol, currently Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office chief
◇Others
▲Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office prosecutor: Jeong Yu-mi, currently research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute