Reckless decision
Court should make quick ruling on Yoon case
A disciplinary committee under the Ministry of Justice voted early Wednesday morning to suspend Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from his duty for two months, accusing him of four counts of legal and ethical misconduct. It is unprecedented for the ministry to come up with punitive measures against the top prosecutor, whose term in office is guaranteed by law.
The suspension of the chief prosecutor from duty is the first of its kind since the 1948 founding of the Republic of Korea. It is regrettable as it undermines the rule of law. The committee should have held a fair and transparent procedure, and presented convincing evidence regarding the allegations about Yoon s misdeeds. But it failed to meet such basic requirements.
Top prosecutor vows to fight ‘illegal and unfair’ suspension
It is now up to Moon to take away the power from Yoon for the next two months |
Top prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl leaves the prosecutors office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is to be removed from duty for two months following a vote by a Justice Ministry disciplinary committee that met amid an unprecedented conflict between the heads of the prosecution and the ministry.
The disciplinary panel voted to suspend Yoon from his post early Wednesday morning, deeming him responsible for four of the six allegations brought against him.
Justice Ministry kicks off second disciplinary committee hearing against prosecutor general
Conflict between justice minister and chief prosecutor deepens with prolonged proceedings |
Lee Wan-kyu (right), one of legal representatives for Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, answers reporters` questions Tuesday ahead of attending Justice Ministry`s 2nd disciplinary meeting held at the Gwacheon Government Complex. (Yonhap)
The long-simmering conflict between Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae continued Tuesday with the second meeting of the ministry’s disciplinary committee.
Yoon once again was absent from the meeting, which started at around 10:30 a.m. at the Gwacheon Government Complex. The meeting was held to determine whether Yoon is subject to disciplinary action over allegations that Choo raised against him last month.
2nd disciplinary committee for chief prosecutor
Posted : 2020-12-15 16:59
Updated : 2020-12-15 16:59
Chung Han-joong, the acting chairman for the disciplinary committee of the Ministry of Justice, answers reporters questions at the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, before attending the second committee meeting to discuss disciplinary measures over the alleged misconduct of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. Yoon, who has fiercely denied all the allegations raised against him by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, has declined to attend the meetings, including the first one on Dec. 10. The committee did not reach an agreement as of 4:30 p.m. / Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho
December 11, 2020 12:08
Embattled Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl s disciplinary hearing at the Justice Ministry ended in disarray on Thursday after the government got cold feet in its hounding of the popular official.
The hearing, which had already been postponed once, reconvenes next Tuesday. The seven members of the disciplinary committee were handpicked by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, but one did not bother to turn up, one resigned, and one later recused himself, leaving the bare quorum of four.
The standoff is quickly turning into a farce. Until last week, Choo had been gung-ho about ousting Youn, ostensibly because he stands in the way of her prosecution reforms, but more likely because he has been investigating figures close to the president for corruption.