Prosecutor General Without Investigative Powers... A Changed Role, Changing Standards

Past candidates known for experience in special investigations and public security
Indictment and prosecution skills gain prominence with launch of the Public Prosecution Office
Organizational leadership and political neutrality also key

Public nominations for the first prosecutor general to be appointed since the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office close on Oct. 21. In the past, candidates for prosecutor general had generally built their careers in special investigations and public security. This time, however, the ability to maintain prosecutions could emerge as a new factor in evaluating candidates, observers say. Legal circles nonetheless expect traditional selection criteria, such as organizational stability and the respect a candidate commands within the organization, to remain important.

According to legal circles on Oct. 21, the Ministry of Justice is accepting public nominations through that day for candidates to become the first head of the Public Prosecution Office, the prosecutor general. After the nomination process, the ministry plans to vet the candidates and have the Prosecutor General Candidate Recommendation Committee review them before narrowing the field to the final candidates. The committee, formed on Oct. 13, is chaired by former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il, who served in the role under the Moon Jae-in administration.

A replacement sign is displayed at the main entrance of the Public Prosecution Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 2, as the Prosecutors' Office, which held both investigation and prosecution powers, closed after 78 years and the Public Prosecution Office and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency officially launched under the Lee Jaemyung Administration. Oct. 2, 2026. Photo by Kang Jinhyung.

Past recommendation committees have mainly put forward candidates with significant experience in special investigations and public security. The first committee, in 2013, nominated Kim Jin-tae and Chae Dong-wook, both known for their special investigation experience, as well as So Byeong-cheol, who had worked in planning and public security. In 2017, nominees included Moon Moo-il, a special investigations expert, and Oh Se-in, who had built a career in public security. All four candidates for prosecutor general under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in 2022 - Yeo Hwan-seop, Kim Hu-gon, Lee Du-bong and Lee Won-seok - also had experience in special investigations.

However, observers say the criteria could change this time, given the shift in the prosecutor general's role. Unlike the Prosecutors' Office, the Public Prosecution Office will decide whether to indict and maintain prosecutions without having the authority to direct investigations. Accordingly, analysts say that while investigative experience and leadership skills were once highly valued, greater weight may now be placed on the ability to assess the appropriateness of indictments by reviewing evidence and legal principles, and to prove allegations in court. "If the prosecutor general once determined the direction of investigations into major cases and directed those investigations, the role of ensuring that decisions to indict and the maintenance of prosecutions are appropriate may become more important," a legal sector source said.

Stabilizing the organization in its early days is another challenge for the first prosecutor general. That is why some say the role requires someone familiar with the organization and highly respected by its members. The ability to lead the organization, along with political neutrality and independence, are still considered important selection criteria, as the prosecutor general will have to decide whether to indict or appeal in major cases and whether to withdraw prosecutions. "I hope a strong-willed person who can safeguard the prosecution's independence and neutrality will come in, work according to principle and act as a shield," a senior prosecutor currently in office said. "We need a prosecutor general with the resolve to withstand a fierce onslaught."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.