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| Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is surrounded by reporters at the National Assembly, Tuesday, without answering questions over her conflict with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
The political circle here is divided over Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's order to suspend Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from duty following a months-long feud over prosecutorial reform and multiple investigations.
The opposition parties claim the administration is trying to kick out the top prosecutor as he is being apolitical with regard to its policy directions, and called on President Moon Jae-in to make public his position on the issue, while the ruling bloc has continued to urge Yoon to step down over alleged ethics violations cited by the minister.
On Tuesday, Choo held a press conference and underlined her reasoning behind the rare decision to suspend the prosecutor general due to alleged misdeeds. Yoon has hit back, saying he will take legal action.
About an hour after Choo's announcement, the presidential office released a statement, saying that the President had been briefed shortly before the announcement was made. "The President did not have anything in particular to say about it," presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a statement.
The statement is seen as a way for the presidential office to distance the President from the Choo-Yoon conflict. Moon appointed Yoon in July 2019 and Choo in January 2020, following the scandalous resignation of her predecessor Cho Kuk, a former senior presidential aide.
Moon's silence is widely seen as supporting Choo's handling of the conflict with the top prosecutor, who, according to the minister, has not only committed various misdeeds but also violated the political neutrality required of a senior civil servant. Yoon, who has recently emerged as a favorite in polls for potential presidential candidates, has expressed, albeit tacitly, that he would consider a life in politics after his term ends in July next year.
The opposition parties are expressing their anger at the move by Choo, accusing Moon of trying to oust Yoon because he had initiated investigations into corruption allegations involving presidential aides. "The President himself should speak about the lawlessness of the justice minister," Rep. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said in a statement.
Joo criticized the President for being a coward. "If the President is discontent with the prosecutor general, he should take on the political responsibility and dismiss Yoon. The suspension of the prosecutor is a very regrettable moment in our legal history. The entire administration has been mobilized to oust the prosecutor general for baseless reasons."
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has shown support for Choo's decision.
DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon said on Facebook that he was shocked by the minister's allegations involving Yoon, and urged the prosecutor general to resign.
"Aside from the ministry, the National Assembly should also launch an investigation," Lee said during a DPK Supreme Council meeting, Wednesday.
During the press conference, Choo underlined Yoon's alleged illegal inspection of some judges handling sensitive cases and a meeting with a media executive, among others, as grounds for her decision to suspend him from his duties.
Youn has been in a contentious relationship with Choo, whom he has refused to recognize as his superior despite the law which dictates that the justice minister oversees the work of the prosecution.
Cheong Wa Dae has refrained from commenting on their tense relationship or investigations that involve Yoon.
