 |
| Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, left and Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl arrive at the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province for a meeting, Tuesday. The two are at odds over Choo's plan to reassign prosecutors./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae replaced senior prosecutors, Wednesday, who were leading investigations into major corruption scandals involving President Moon Jae-in's aides.
Han Dong-hoon, the head of the anti-corruption department, who was looking into alleged illegal actions by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, was assigned to the No. 2 post in the High Prosecutors Office in Busan, 500 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Cho was also suspected of playing a role in ending an inspection into bribery allegations involving a former Busan vice mayor.
Park Chan-ho, who was investigating the allegation that the presidential office helped Moon's friend win the 2018 mayoral election in the industrial city of Ulsan, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was sent to the prosecutors' office on Jeju Island.
The reaction from prosecutors to the moves, which came five days after Choo took office, was one of serious concern.
Speaking to Yonhap News Agency, one prosecutor who requested anonymity said Choo's actions were excessively politically motivated. "For prosecutor Han, the reshuffle is virtually forcing him to leave the prosecution."
As well as the two high-profile prosecutors, 30 others were affected by reassignments.
Strictly following President Moon's wishes has become the first "achievement" of Choo who was inaugurated just days ago with instructions to carry out prosecutorial reform.
The opposition cried foul over the reassignments and vowed to fight them ― the conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) said it would file a legal complaint against the justice minister.
When Yoon Seok-youl was sworn in as the nation's top prosecutor in July, Cheong Wa Dae had high hopes for the prosecution to be reformed and for corruption to be rooted out.
But, Yoon quickly became a headache for the presidential office as he kicked off corruption investigations into President Moon Jae-in's aides. One was Cho Kuk, the former justice minister who showed the greatest support for Yoon's appointment as the top prosecutor.
Choo and Yoon met briefly, Tuesday, but no details were made public. On Wednesday morning, members of the justice ministry and the prosecution office held a human resources meeting, but Yoon was not there. By noon, there were rumors that Choo had sidelined him and that an official announcement would be made soon.
However, in the early afternoon, Choo announced, "I would like to consult with Yoon," and the two are expected to meet again face to face, though the time and location have not been disclosed. Some news reports said Yoon had refused to meet the justice minister.
![[INTERVIEW] Ecolab helps Korean partners profit from ESG management](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/7a924189dbb7426ab12275ba98702309.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'Lifeline for migrant workers in Korea' - Rev. Kim fights for foreign employees' rights](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8fb4b5d381da49df90276394550f2889.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Korea to work with US, Japan to fight climate change](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/800d9054a14b4a0f9cc576366cc1b914.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/0eae35da5e9c40c38cf439e550a2eb3e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/df16760dc50f469d93434f66a069465c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
