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| Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl arrives at work in Seoul, Monday/ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
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| Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae leaves the ministry headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. /Yonhap |
The minister filled 11 key posts with pro-government prosecutors last Friday, while demoting those working closely with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.
Conservative lawmakers and commentators claimed Choo's move was a step against the prosecutorial reform.
"She promoted prosecutors who kowtow to the government while she demoted those who don't. She has made being at the beck and call of the government the prosecution's No. 1 priority for those prosecutors who wish to retain their posts," Rep. Kim Woong of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) said.
Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the People's Party, said, "Even if she cuts off Yoon's hands and feet, she will not stop the fall of Moon."
Opposition also came from the prosecutors' office. A senior prosecutor resigned over the weekend in an open protest against Minister Choo.
"I am deeply concerned that the work of the prosecution is being so manipulated by politics," he wrote on the prosecutors' office internal online message board before resigning. "Impartiality is an important value for prosecutors who only then can carry out their given tasks."
Criticizing pro-government colleagues, he added, "If prosecutors, for the sake of fame or under the threat of demotion, choose to avoid doing what they are supposed to do… the public will eventually bear the cost. Don't forget we and the Korean people are watching you."
The reshuffle was the latest development in tension between the justice minister and the chief prosecutor that has developed over supposed efforts to eradicate deeply rooted corruption.
In 2019 Korea ranked 39th on the Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International indicating that there were still major problems here, especially among high-ranking government officials, members of the Assembly and chaebol owners. Prosecutors are tasked with investigating such corruption cases, but have sometimes been found to be part of the problem.
One example was former President Park Geun-hye who either forced or coerced officials around her to ensure her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, gained financially. Woo Byung-woo, a prosecutor close to Park, was one of the key suspects in this corruption case.
In 2017, President Moon took office pledging to root out such corruption by undertaking prosecutorial reform, and to head this drive, he appointed Yoon as prosecutor general. However, Yoon quickly became a headache for Moon as he began investigating corruption cases involving the President's inner circle.
Among those, former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his wife are now on trial for corruption. So is Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho who allegedly won the 2018 election with illegal help from Cheong Wa Dae. Both Cho and Song are close allies of Moon.
Moon obliquely criticized Yoon for investigating his aides and demanded he allocate more resources to other ongoing cases involving high-ranking officials from the previous conservative government.
To replace Cho, Moon appointed Choo in January who immediately began to put pressure on the prosecutor general and sought to isolate him.
She removed prosecutors backing Yoon from high-level posts in a first personnel reshuffle which took place in February and replaced them with those who would not be so hard on cases involving Moon's aides, driving a wedge into the prosecutors' office.
The minister also said Yoon's power, backed by the law, was "too great" and got a committee to recommend reducing it.
As another personnel reshuffle is expected soon, experts predict Choo will seek to further isolate Yoon.
The prosecutor general's struggle against Choo have made him a hero among people turning against Moon and conservative voters across the country. Recent opinion polls showed conservative voters supported Yoon as a leading candidate for the next presidential election slated for 2022.
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