Prosecutor General Kim submits letter of resignation

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo (photo) submitted a letter of resignation to Justice Minister Park Beom-gye on Sunday in protest of the bill proposal to entirely remove investigative rights of public prosecutors. If Kim, whose term lasts until May next year, resigns, it is deemed to impact the resignation of other district and local public prosecutors.

“I sincerely apologize for the conflicts and disputes on the legislative procedures taking place for the proposed bill. As Public Prosecutor General, I hold myself accountable for the situation and submitted a letter of resignation to the Minister of Justice,: said Kim in a statement that was 638 characters long. Kim is known to have expressed intention to resign to close friends and colleagues.

“I believe it should be at least 10 years for a new criminal system to be fully implemented before we discuss whether it should be reformed. In such cases, it is imperative to heed public opinion by holding open hearings to reach a public consensus,” said Kim. Although KIm expressed intention to resign, he will attend the general meeting of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly on Monday to request review of the new bill.

Kim’s resignation is expected to impact the resignation of other high-ranking positions of public prosecutors nationwide. Reportedly, public prosecutors have agreed to submit a conditional letter of resignation at the recent nationwide and local public prosecutor meeting. “Letters of resignation will be submitted in consecutive order, starting from the highest-ranking officials,” said a high-ranking public prosecutor officer.

The Presidential Office did not issue an official statement on this day. “It is too early to discuss the acceptance of the letter,” was the official response, suggesting that President Moon is unlikely to immediately accept the resignation. “It is not responsible to step down in this manner,” said Spokesperson Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea.


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