Moon appoints new prosecutor general

Jun 01, 2021, 08:51 am

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Kim Oh-soo, who has been appointed as the new prosecutor general by President Moon Jae-in, arrives to attend his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on May 31, 2021./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

President Moon Jae-in approved the appointment of Kim Oh-soo as the new prosecutor general on Monday. Kim has become the 33rd minister-level official in the Moon administration to take office without the consent of the opposition party.

The president authorized the appointment of Kim as prosecutor general at around 5 p.m. and Kim’s tenure is to start on Tuesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.

Earlier in the morning, members of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee under the ruling Democratic Party (DP) adopted a formal report on the results of the confirmation hearing on Kim held last week amid the absence of lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The DP has been pushing the main opposition party for agreement of the adoption, while the PPP has been insisting on resuming the hearing that was previously crippled. But as the rival parties failed to reach an agreement until the deadline imposed by President Moon to sent the report, the DP separately held a meeting and adopted the hearing report on Kim. As Moon approved Kim’s appointment, an appointment ceremony will be held as early as Tuesday.

Kim is considered the right person to complete the task of the Moon Jae-in administration’s prosecution reform drive. He has been assisting former Justice Ministers Park Sang-ki, Cho Kuk, and Choo Mi-ae a Vice Justice Minister for nearly 22 months. After former minister Cho Kuk retired in 2019, Kim reported the progress of prosecution reform directly to President Moon Jae-in as acting minister.

However, Kim’s appointment could place heavy pressure on Cheong Wa Dae. Strong criticism from the opposition bloc is inevitable since the presidential office had also pushed for the appointment of Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook nearly two weeks ago amid the PPP’s strong opposition. Besides, the opposition bloc views Kim as a person in violation of ‘political neutrality’. If the government-related investigation is not carried out properly in the future, the presidential office is highly likely to be criticized.

There are also concerns that Kim’s appointment could hinder Cheong Wa Dae’s hope for stable state management through cooperation with the opposition bloc until the end of Moon’s term. Recently, President Moon Jae-in invited representatives of the ruling and opposition parties to share the results of the Korea-US summit, but Kim Ki-hyun, the acting chief of the PPP and the party’s floor leader, openly demanded a replacement for the Cheong Wa Dae personnel.

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