Nomination panel accepting public submissions through Oct. 21

Former prosecutors Lee Jeong-hyeon, Lee Jin-su, Park Cheol-woo among names floated

Justice minister to recommend nominee; appointment expected as early as next month

From left, in order of judicial training institute class: Lee Jeong-hyeon, acting prosecutor general and deputy chief of the Prosecution Service (27th class); Lee Jin-su, acting justice minister and vice minister of Justice (29th class); and Park Cheol-woo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecution Service (30th class). [Yonhap]
From left, in order of judicial training institute class: Lee Jeong-hyeon, acting prosecutor general and deputy chief of the Prosecution Service (27th class); Lee Jin-su, acting justice minister and vice minister of Justice (29th class); and Park Cheol-woo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecution Service (30th class). [Yonhap]

The selection process for the first prosecutor general of South Korea's newly established Prosecution Service has officially begun. The appointment draws particular attention as it will be the first prosecutor general under the Lee Jae Myung administration and the inaugural head of the agency created after the abolition of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The central question is whether the government will choose a candidate with a prosecutorial background or look outside that world. The administration faces the dual challenge of ensuring stable operations at an agency that inherited the old prosecutors' office's structure, while also honoring the symbolic goals of prosecution reform. The prosecutor general post has been vacant since July, leaving the final work of the old prosecutors' office and the opening of the new Prosecution Service both handled by acting officials.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee, formed Tuesday, will accept public nominations through Oct. 21. The nine-member panel is chaired by Moon Moo-il, a former prosecutor general who led the prosecution service under President Moon Jae-in. It comprises five ex-officio members and four non-ex-officio members. The ex-officio members are Ki U-jong, deputy chief of the Court Administration Office; Kim Jeong-uk, chairman of the Korean Bar Association; Choi Bong-gyeong, chairman of the Korean Association of Law Professors; Kim Hyeon-su, chairman of the Law School Association; and Lee Eung-cheol, director of the criminal justice bureau at the Ministry of Justice. The non-ex-officio members are Moon, the committee chair; Yeo Jeong-seong, a former vice president of Seoul National University; Shim Seok-tae, a special professor at Semyung University; and Baek Myeong-jae, director of the Seoul West Smile Center.

Inside and outside the Prosecution Service, observers say the defining issue in this selection is whether a former prosecutor will be appointed. The question gained urgency after Kim Ji-yong, a former deputy chief of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office, was nominated to lead the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency — another body created alongside the Prosecution Service following the abolition of the old prosecutors' office — and drew open backlash from hardliners within the ruling camp. Critics argued that appointing a former prosecutor to head a newly created investigative agency ran counter to the spirit of prosecution reform, which sought to separate investigative and indictment powers. The controversy deepened when Lim Eun-jeong, chief of the Gwangju District Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and herself a former prosecutor appointed to a senior post at the agency, publicly criticized the nominee and subsequently became the subject of an internal audit.

Given that the Prosecution Service was created specifically as part of prosecution reform, analysts say a candidate's prosecutorial background is likely to emerge as a key point of contention in the selection process. As a result, there is speculation that a judge or academic could receive a surprise appointment, alongside current and former senior officials at the Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Justice who have prosecutorial experience.

Others argue, however, that the Prosecution Service is a fundamentally different case from the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency. Unlike the new investigative body, the Prosecution Service directly inherited the personnel and organizational structure of the old prosecutors' office, with prosecutors continuing to form its operational core. In addition, the agency has been restructured to focus on filing and maintaining indictments, requesting warrants and exercising judicial oversight — having relinquished direct investigative functions following the abolition of the prosecutors' office. Proponents of this view say the role calls for someone with organizational management experience and the ability to command internal loyalty, as the new criminal justice framework needs time to take root. "To calm the confusion being felt on the front lines right now, I would think a former prosecutor would naturally be the first consideration," a senior Prosecution Service official said.

Within legal circles and inside the Prosecution Service itself, the names most frequently mentioned among candidates with prosecutorial backgrounds are Lee Jeong-hyeon, acting prosecutor general and deputy chief of the Prosecution Service (27th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute); Lee Jin-su, acting justice minister and vice minister of Justice (29th class); and Park Cheol-woo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecution Service (30th class). All three are said to have a strong understanding of the Prosecution Service's organization and have held key posts within it.

Despite the formal start of the process, the appointment is expected to take considerable time. Once the public nomination period closes on Oct. 21, the Ministry of Justice will screen the submitted names and select candidates for review. The recommendation committee will then assess their qualifications and submit a list of at least three candidates to the justice minister.

The minister will recommend one of those candidates to the president, who will make the final appointment after a National Assembly confirmation hearing. Taking into account the public nomination period, candidate vetting, committee review and the hearing schedule, observers say the Lee Jae Myung administration's first prosecutor general is unlikely to be appointed before next month at the earliest.

While the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency carries the title of director, the head of the Prosecution Service retains the title of prosecutor general, as was the case under the old prosecutors' office. The title's use in the Constitution — where the appointment of the prosecutor general is listed as a matter subject to Cabinet deliberation — was a factor considered during the legislative process.


yg@heraldcorp.com