Acting director attended the first cabinet meeting after the launch of the Public Prosecution Service and the Central Investigations Office... Raising concerns about investigative independence

In the Lee administration, the Prosecutor General and the Acting Commissioner General of the National Police also attended... Infringement of investigative independence

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Jae-ha and Jeong Yun-ju = Acting heads of the two agencies will attend the first cabinet meeting held after the launch of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office (Serious Crimes Investigation Office).

The head of the Prosecutor General's Office, the predecessor of the two agencies, did not attend cabinet meetings in the past, but has been attending since early this year following President Lee Jae-myung's instructions, raising concerns that the neutrality and independence of the investigation may be undermined.

According to the legal community on the 6th, Acting Director of the Central Investigation Agency (Deputy Director) Jeon Jong-min and Acting Director of the Public Prosecution Service (Prosecution General) Lee Jeong-hyun (Deputy Director) will attend a cabinet meeting scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. on this day.

Acting Director Lee, who took office on the 23rd of last month, is attending the cabinet meeting held on the 29th of the same month for the second time, and this is the first time since the name of the organization was changed to the Public Prosecution Service.

As this is the first cabinet meeting since its launch, the Heavy Water Administration has organized the institutional system, future operation plans and goals, etc. in order to report on the agency at the cabinet meeting.

In the past, the Prosecutor General did not attend the cabinet meeting, but President Lee Jae-myung ordered at the cabinet meeting on December 30 last year that “not only the ministry but also external offices belonging to the ministry should attend the cabinet meeting.”

Accordingly, Koo Ja-hyun, then acting Prosecutor General, began attending cabinet meetings starting on January 20th of this year.

Although this is said to be for work efficiency, some have pointed out that having the head of an organization that must conduct investigations against those in power without discrimination attend the Cabinet meeting and report to the President could undermine the neutrality and independence of the investigation.

On June 2 of this year, a day before the local elections, President Lee said to then-Acting Prosecutor General Koo Ja-hyeon, "Anyone can make a mistake. If you make a mistake, apologize and cancel," and "It is the same for any institution," which was criticized as a violation of political neutrality.

Although President Lee did not mention a specific case at the time, it was interpreted that he was urging the cancellation of the indictment in President Lee's criminal case that was on trial.

Jeon Jong-min, acting head of the Central Investigation Agency, is expected to attend the National Assembly's audit of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on this day, but it has been reported that he has decided to attend the cabinet meeting first.

Meanwhile, Acting Police Commissioner Kim Jong-cheol is also scheduled to attend the cabinet meeting on this day.

The Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, who is not a member of the State Council, did not normally attend cabinet meetings until the end, but since the Lee Jae-myung administration took office, the acting chief has been attending.

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