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A view of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office seen from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on November 18. / Yonhap

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-jin said Thursday that the coalition parties’ decision to file a complaint against senior prosecutors who opposed dropping the appeal in the Daejang-dong case was likely aimed at determining whether their collective dissent violated the Civil Service Act.

Speaking on MBC Radio’s Kim Jong-bae’s Focus, Kim said the key question is whether prosecutors’ objections were “reasonable professional opinions” or a case of “collective insubordination that breaches civil service regulations.”

Kim argued that the collective nature of the dissent underscores a deeper problem within the prosecution.
“No other group of public officials in Korea responds to an administrative decision by gathering collective signatures,” he said. “This sense of entitlement within the prosecution is excessive.”

He added that some prosecutors appear to be engaging in “political defiance” without taking responsibility, possibly to position themselves for future private-sector careers after leaving public service.
“If someone wishes to object, they should do so individually,” he said.

Addressing criticism that the complaint was filed without consultation with party leadership, Kim said differences can arise depending on the situation.

“Standing committees sometimes make decisions independently. The floor leader must manage the overall political landscape, so his stance may differ,” he said.

He added that filing complaints or accusations through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee “is common practice,” and that such decisions can result from either leadership approval or committee-level consensus.