2023-11-29 13:01:39
Kim Jin-wook (left), head of the High-ranking Official Crimes Investigation Office, is answering questions from lawmakers at the National Assembly audit of the Corruption Investigation Office of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th of last month./News 1
It was reported on the 29th that following the chief prosecutor of the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office (Corruption Investigation Office) wrote an article to the media pointing out the Corruption Investigation Office’s “political bias” and “personnel tyranny,” the Corruption Investigation Office will file a complaint following the inspection. In the legal world, there was a saying that “the Corruption Investigation Office overreacted when internal members exposed the problems that the Corruption Investigation Office had caused during the three years since its launch.”
Kim Myeong-seok, director of human rights investigation policy at the Corruption Investigation Office, wrote a column titled ‘Political bias and personnel tyranny’ in the legal newspaper on the 30th. In his column, he said, “After 17 years as a prosecutor and 5 years as a lawyer, I was appointed as the chief prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office in October 2022, and when I talk regarding my thoughts so far, only two words come to mind: political bias and tyranny in personnel.”
Policy Director Kim shared what he had experienced, saying, “I had a truly strange experience.” In the sub-heading ‘Political Bias’, he said, “Earlier this year, the prosecution investigated the allegations of abuse of power by two prosecution executives regarding the ‘suspicion of inspection of the Prosecutor General’s office’ and transferred it to the Corruption Investigation Office,” adding, “Even though it is a sensitive case with high social interest, (Yeo Woon-guk) The deputy chief prosecutor ordered the case to be assigned to prosecutor A, who has no investigative experience. “It was strange,” he wrote. “(Deputy Chief Female) called me and Prosecutor A and said, ‘What kind of abuse of power is this?’ She handed Prosecutor A materials denying the establishment of abuse of power, including precedents that she had found in advance, and ordered him to write a review report.” It is. The purpose is that the Corruption Investigation Office passively investigated allegations that the Ministry of Justice illegally inspected President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was the Prosecutor General during the Moon Jae-in administration. Regarding this, Policy Director Kim said, “In his 17 years as a prosecutor, he has experienced all sorts of things, but he was surprised.”
Policy Director Kim also mentioned that he was there before he was appointed to the Corruption Investigation Office. He said, “In the case of ‘the Prosecutor General’s preparation of a document to inspect a judge,’ if (one prosecutor) gives a negative opinion regarding whether to book a case, another prosecutor is asked to review it, and if (that prosecutor) gives a negative opinion once more, another prosecutor is asked to review it.” “They said they had no choice but to book me following going through various tests, so I thought it was a joke,” he wrote. It is said that the Corruption Investigation Office actively investigated a case in which President Yoon was inspected as one of the reasons for disciplinary action during his time as Prosecutor General.
Policy Director Kim said, “It is surprising that they draw a conclusion in advance regarding a case that has not yet been investigated and then say the above words and actions to fit that conclusion.”
Next, Policy Director Kim said in the sub-heading ‘Personnel tyranny’, “Members of the Corruption Investigation Office feel the same way as odd jobs in the labor market.” He added, “When you go to work one day, personnel orders have been announced following work the previous day, and such notices are not even available at the time. “It pops up often without it,” he said. He also said, “There is no way for there to be teamwork, there is constant conflict, and people are retiring one following another.” He also said, “A person who worked as a prosecutor but then quit and used to be a lawyer came to lead the investigation as chief prosecutor, so the ship is going to hell and it is noisy.” At the same time, he said, “Comedy-like things that cannot happen in the prosecution are happening all the time, but the head of the Corruption Investigation Office and the deputy director who are supposed to guide the direction also have no experience, so they know they are doing a good job. “It’s a total mess,” he said.
Policy Director Kim said, “The members of the Corruption Investigation Office who have lived through this for the past three years are worried as if they have suffered a mental illness,” and added, “Most of them have already quit.” At the same time, he said, “It is said that the next head and deputy head of the Corruption Investigation Office will be appointed (in January next year),” and added, “It would be nice if it might just become a normal organization.”
Regarding this, the Corruption Investigation Office said, “Director Kim Jin-wook ordered an inspection because Policy Director Kim violated the rule that he must report it to the Director of the Corruption Investigation Office in advance in order to make external contributions,” adding, “Deputy Director Yeo Un-guk defamed Policy Director Kim by publishing untrue content.” “We decided to file a complaint once morest Director Kim to another investigative agency on the 30th as we judged that he was suspected of leaking official secrets.”
Director Kim is a graduate of the 40th bar exam and served as a prosecutor at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, a deputy chief prosecutor at the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office, and a deputy chief prosecutor at the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office. He then opened his own law practice. He then joined the Corruption Investigation Office in October of last year, served as the head prosecutor of the first investigation department, and is currently the director of human rights investigation policy. is working with
1701283860
#Revelation #prosecutor #Corruption #Investigation #Office #political #bias #personnel #abuse #mind
