CHALLENGES FACED BY NEW TOP PROSECUTOR

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Kim Oh-soo took office yesterday as the new prosecutor general, finally filling the vacancy created when Yoon Seok-youl stepped down three months ago. But he faces a mountain of challenges such as his questionable political neutrality which has caused controversy even before he was installed as the top prosecutor. The nation’s attention is on how he would handle the organization reform and personnel shift within the prosecution as well as the corruption cases among high-ranking public officials.

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The essence of Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo’s inauguration sppech was making a trusted prosecution service.

[Soundbite] Kim Oh-soo(Prosecutor General) : "We must do our best to complete the true prosecution reform that people want through ceaseless innovation."

He made remarks that appeared to address the controversy surrounding concerns over his political neutrality.

[Soundbite] Kim Oh-soo(Prosecutor General) : "I promise you that I will become a strong breakwater to safeguard political neutrality and independence from all types of undue pressure."

Personnel shift which could come as early as this week will be the first test of the new Prosecutor General’s leadership. The focus will be on how he appoints high-level prosecutors. It has been speculated that he would convince some high-ranking officials who are not friendly with the current administration to resign. When Institute of Justice President Bae Seong-beom resigned before the inauguration... he emphasized that prosecutors should not be unjustly disadvantaged just because they were in certain investigation teams. Reorganization of the prosecutors’ offices is another challenge Kim must handle. Most of the prosecutors are opposing his organizational overhaul plan since it is perceived to dramatically weaken the prosecutors’ direct investigation authority. Also, because Justice Minister Park Beom-kye is pushing prosecution reform as his pet project, the Prosecutor General has to strike a balance between Park's plan and the protest inside the prosecution. It also remains to be seen how he would handle corruption cases involving current and former high-ranking members of the presidential office, who are accused of exercising their influence on the investigations of a nuclear reactor and former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui. The investigation team probing former Presidential Secretary for Industrial Policies Chae Hee-bong and current Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Lee Gwang-cheol has already submitted its indictment plan to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. As the investigating prosecutors postponed their probe conclusion to the point when the new prosecutor general is named, attention turns to how Kim Oh-soo would decide on the matter.