Eun-Jung Lim, Prosecutors Research Officer, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (Prosecutors Policy Researcher). News 1
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office officially raised a question to the Ministry of Justice regarding the personnel of the last prosecutor’s middle officer. Even after the inauguration of Justice Minister Park Bum-gye, the conflict between the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Justice is expected to continue.
According to the legal profession on the 1st, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office sent an official letter to the Ministry of Justice on the 22nd of last month after the prosecution’s appointment as an intermediate executive. The request was made to clarify the legal basis for granting investigative authority while adjoining the prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of Public Affairs and Policy Im Eun-jeong as the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. It is reported that the Ministry of Justice has not yet responded to the Great Sword.
At the time, the Ministry of Justice explained that “the efficiency and function of the inspection work were strengthened by granting investigation authority to the researcher.” As the grounds, Article 15 of the Prosecutors’ Office Act was heard that the prosecution researcher may concurrently serve as a prosecutor at the high prosecutor’s office or local prosecutors’ office.
However, it was evaluated that it was quite unusual to issue an adjunct appointment to a researcher studying policy under the direction of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. Minister Park also said to a related question from a member of the National Assembly, “I know that Prosecutor Eun-jung Lim hopes to have the right to investigate.” When asked, “If you wish the great sword researcher to have the authority to investigate, will you give them all the authority to investigate?”
Inside and outside the legal profession, it is suspected that the appointment of Researcher Lim was related to the case of former Prime Minister Han Myung-sook. Researcher Lim has been investigating the suspicion of a coercive investigation and perjury teacher by the investigation team in the case of the illegal political fund transfer of former Prime Minister Han at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. However, the fact-finding investigation proceeded slowly, and the statute of limitations for related cases was less than a month left.
Accordingly, Researcher Lim said that he has been demanding investigative authority. When the greetings were announced, he said, “I wasn’t having trouble with my mind because I didn’t have the right to investigate, but I was given the right to investigate,” he said.
In the case of former Prime Minister Han, former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol strongly clashed over the subject of the inspection and the treatment method. It is observed that a re-conflict between the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Justice is inevitable if Researcher Lim enforces an investigation and prosecution against a former Prime Minister’s investigation team.
Reporter Lee Ga-young [email protected]
