President Yoon nominates Vice Justice Minister Shim Woo-jung as prosecutor general

Vice Justice Minister Shim Woo-jung speaks to reporters outside the Justice Ministry in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, after being nominated as the country's next prosecutor general on Sunday. [YONHAP] President Yoon Suk Yeol has nominated Vice Justice Minister Shim Woo-jung as the country's next prosecutor general, according to the presidential office on Sunday. Speaking to reporters at a press briefing, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk described the 53-year-old Shim as being “well-informed on criminal procedure and the state prosecution service” and a “firm believer of the rule of law.” Although Shim is required to undergo a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly prior to his appointment, parliamentary consent is not required for his nomination to go through. Shim is expected to succeed current Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, whose two-year term expires next month. Shim passed the national bar exam in 1994 and began his career as a prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in 2000. He has since served in several posts within the state prosecution service, including the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the Justice Ministry. Speaking to reporters at the ministry’s headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, Shim said he feels “a heavy sense of responsibility” and that he would “do [his] best to restore public trust in the prosecution service” if he were to be appointed. In recent years, lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party (DP) have accused prosecutors of meddling in politics by pursuing investigations against their leaders. When asked about the prosecution’s ongoing probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee, Shim said investigators should adhere to the established procedure and principles. In a break with usual practice, the first lady was questioned by prosecutors inside an unspecified presidential facility on July 20 about her alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and her acceptance of a luxury bag as a gift from a Korean American pastor. Witnesses and suspects in criminal investigations are normally summoned to a regional branch of the state prosecution service. Lee Chang-soo, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, also briefed the prosecutor general more than three hours after the questioning of the first lady began, according to officials who spoke to local media. Liberal lawmakers have accused prosecutors of granting special treatment to the president’s wife by questioning her off-site. However, Justice Minister Park Sung-jae told lawmakers in a parliamentary hearing on July 31 that Kim’s questioning took place outside the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office because of security concerns. BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]