KIM OH-SOO WITHDRAWS RESIGNATION

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Following a meeting with President Moon Jae-in, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo has withdrawn his resignation offer he announced on Sunday. In an emergency meeting on Monday, senior prosecutors decided to persuade the National Assembly, with the top prosecutor at center.

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Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo said that in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in, he had sufficiently explained the problems with the Democratic Party’s push to deprive the prosecution of its investigative power. He also proposed other ways to guarantee fairness and neutrality of investigations conducted by the prosecutors. Kim then withdrew the resignation offer he made a day earlier, saying that he respected the opinion of the president who had appointed him.

[Soundbite] Kim Oh-soo(Prosecutor General) : "It was a life-or-death decision. But now I must see this through until the end under the given conditions."

While holding an emergency meeting at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, six high-ranking prosecutors were told about the results of Kim’s meeting with the president. They said they will back the top prosecutor and actively participate in parliamentary discussions on the ruling party’s drive. They added they will also work hard to highlight the problems of the bill. The senior prosecutors agreed that the bill has many flaws and contradictions so it will cause serious confusion and inconvenience the public. They also asked the prosecutor general to proactively deliver prosecutors’ views to the National Assembly. Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo's resignation has been withheld and the senior prosecutors will focus on persuading the National Assembly. However, it is still likely that internal resistance will continue to spread within the prosecution. Some 150 junior prosecutors from across the nation will hold a meeting at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to address the issue.