Candidate for Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon delivered to the National Assembly that the Office of the Investigation and Information Officer (Sujeong Office) of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which is in charge of collecting information with the 'eyes and ears' of the Prosecutor General, should be revived.



In a written response to a personnel hearing submitted to the National Assembly, one candidate said about the abolition of the correctional officer's office, saying, "If the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's investigative information collection department is abolished, there is a risk that the direct investigation function of the prosecution on corruption and economic crimes will be severely impaired." I did.



He added, "If I take office as the Minister of Justice, I will carefully review the desirable organizational restructuring and system improvement measures that can prevent side effects while preserving the proper function of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office's information collection department."



The Office of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office has been continuously reduced for the purpose of reforming the prosecution under the Moon Jae-in administration, and when Yoon Seok-yeol served as the Prosecutor General, it was reorganized into the Office of the Information Management Officer and effectively abolished as controversy over judge inspections and suspicions of accusations arose.



As for the change of the prosecutor's office to a public prosecution office after separating the prosecutor's investigative powers from the prosecution's powers (so-called complete inspection), one candidate said, "The Constitutional Prosecutor's Office of Warrant Claims clearly presupposes the prosecutor's investigative power, so the unconstitutional view is strong. He said, "I am concerned that, in practice, if the prosecutor's authority is deprived without any alternatives, the public will suffer great damage as a result."



In particular, he cited the issue of law revision for the overhaul as the "most urgent issue" of the Ministry of Justice and said, "There is an urgent need for a system design for the normal and efficient operation of the national criminal justice system and a public consensus on it."



Regarding the ministries in charge of the 'Korean FBI' promoted by the passport, he said, "A new investigative agency should be pursued with a public consensus after a thorough review." expressed its intentions.



Regarding the 'de-prosecution of the Ministry of Justice', he said, "As a result of the implementation of the policy, there were problems such as a decrease in the professionalism and continuity of the Ministry of Justice.



When asked how the prosecution could restore people's trust, they said, "We must become independent from political power." He said, "We must create a system and environment that allows the prosecution to conduct investigations fairly in accordance with laws and principles, without being swayed." .



Regarding the 'Regulations on the Prohibition of Disclosure of Criminal Cases', which was criticized for effectively restricting the media's practical limitations on the prosecution's investigations, he said, "There were critical opinions such as restrictions on the public's right to know due to the reduction of the scope of disclosure during the actual operation." "I will listen to the opinions of not only the prosecution but also various social circles to examine the reasonable scope of disclosure."



When asked about his opinion on the relationship between criminal justice agencies and the media, he responded in principle, saying, "The performance of criminal justice agencies also needs to be in harmony with the people's right to know."



Regarding the enactment of the anti-discrimination law,



When asked about the role of the Minister of Justice, he said, "It will establish the rule of law and guarantee political neutrality that matches the values ​​of justice and common sense," he said.



In addition, regarding the provision of priority for investigation (Article 24 of the Public Relations Act) of the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Office (Public Police Agency), which President-elect Yoon promised to abolish, he said, “The aspect of infringing on the autonomy of other investigation agencies and the basic rights of persons involved in the case and causing delays in the investigation. There is a need for improvement,” he said.



A candidate's personnel hearing is scheduled to be held on the 9th.



(Photo = Yonhap News)