“Lethargic Leadership”: 100 Rank-and-file Seoul Prosecutors Hold Emergency Meeting

Some 100 rank-and-file prosecutors of the Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office (Head: Kim Hyun-chae, who passed the 33rd bar exam) convened an emergency meeting on the night of May 2 at a meeting room on the 15th floor of the Seoul District Public Prosecutor’s Office building in Seocho-gu, Seocho-dong, Seoul.

The meeting invites keen attention as it was held amid the continuing divergence of opinions over criminal procedure law reform among the Presidential Commission on Judicial Reform (co-chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and Attorney Han Seung-hun) and the prosecution.

It was the third meeting of rank-and-file prosecutors of the Seoul District Public Prosecutor’s Office. The first such meeting was held in February 1999 and was intended to urge the prosecution leadership to resign over the controversy over the disobedience of Shim Jae-ryun, the former head of the Daegu High Public Prosecutors’ Office. The second meeting was convened in March 2003 to draw up countermeasures for President Roh Moo-hyun’s proposal of a dialogue with prosecutors.

The prosecutors reportedly advanced the meeting date, which was originally scheduled for May 3, in opposition to the lethargic response of the prosecution leadership, which delayed the meeting of chief public prosecutors.

A meeting attendee said that some 20 rank-and-file prosecutors of the Ulsan District Public Prosecutors’ Office had a meeting on April 29. The prosecutors were said to have agreed that a reform of the judiciary system, which is vital to people’s lives, is impossible without participation of the prosecution.

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