The Lee Jae-myung administration's second reshuffle of mid-level prosecutors, and the last large-scale reassignment before the launch of the Prosecution Service Office, was carried out on the 29th. The Ministry of Justice said it would reassign 569 high prosecutors (deputy heads and heads of divisions) and 358 line prosecutors.
At the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the largest in the country, all first through fourth deputy chiefs were replaced. The most senior deputy, the first deputy chief prosecutor, went to Ahn Dong-geon, head of Anti-Corruption Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Kim Tae-heon, deputy head of the Busan Dongbu District Office, was appointed second deputy chief prosecutor, and Kim Tae-hoon, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Justice, was assigned as third deputy chief prosecutor. Lee Seung-hyung, second deputy at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed fourth deputy chief prosecutor to oversee direct-investigation departments such as the anti-corruption investigation divisions.
The incumbent first through fourth deputies at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office were all reassigned before completing one year in their posts. Choi Jae-a, the first deputy, was transferred to head the Anyang District Office; Park Jun-young, the third deputy, was transferred as the first deputy at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office; and Lee Jun-ho, the fourth deputy, was transferred to head the Goyang District Office. Jang Hye-young, the former second deputy, was promoted to head of the Scientific Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and assigned as a chief prosecutor.
At the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Shin Do-uk, Director of International Legal Affairs Policy at the Ministry of Justice, was appointed head of Criminal Division 1, the most senior Director General. Guk Won, head of the Joint Investigation Team on National Fiscal Crimes, was assigned as head of Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice said the reassignment of high-prosecutor level posts will take effect on the 4th of next month, and the reassignment of line prosecutors on the 9th of next month, respectively. In this reshuffle, the 40th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute was newly assigned as chief prosecutors, and the 41st class as deputy chief prosecutors.
With this reshuffle, observers say the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has replaced its aides to align with Chief Prosecutor Park Cheol-woo, newly appointed after the controversy over dropping the appeal in the Daejang-dong development scandal. In this connection, Nam Cheol-woo, Director for Criminal Intelligence 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, was assigned as public affairs director at the Seoul Central office. Nam was dispatched to the special counsel probing Kim Keon-hee and handled the investigation related to the Unification Church.
The Ministry of Justice said the reshuffle was intended to quickly fill vacancies created by the director-level personnel moves on the 27th, and to reorganize the prosecution to prepare prosecutorial reform for the public ahead of the transition to the Prosecution Service Office in Oct. It also said it selected provincial Prosecution Service Director Generals and district office chiefs, who had performed duties across the country, for key posts such as directors at the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and reassigned many directors at the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, as well as Director Generals at the Seoul Central office, to local offices to strengthen frontline capabilities.
Regarding the decision not to promote the 36th class to deputy chief prosecutor among the mid-level promotion candidates, the Ministry of Justice said it was a measure to allow highly experienced prosecutors to serve longer as chief prosecutors to guide junior prosecutors and pass on experience and know-how. In the same vein, it added that some 35th class prosecutors were reassigned as senior Director Generals of criminal divisions at the Seoul and metropolitan district prosecutors' offices.
The personnel moves for line prosecutors are regular reassignments for those who have completed the minimum mandatory tenure, and the Ministry of Justice said it evenly distributed outstanding prosecutors from the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and the Seoul Central office across Prosecution Service offices nationwide to faithfully handle livelihood-related cases, while also reflecting, to the greatest extent possible, individual hardships such as childcare and childbirth.