Former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il: ‘I Advised Yoon Suk-yeol Not to Rush His Prosecutor General Appointment’

Former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il revealed that in 2019, when Yoon Suk-yeol, then serving as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, was being considered as a candidate for Prosecutor General, he advised Yoon not to rush the appointment, believing it was inappropriate to directly transition from using the ‘sword’ (prosecuting cases) to leading the entire prosecution service. 🧐

During a special lecture and discussion at Sogang University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Moon stated, “To become Prosecutor General, one needs time to organize their thoughts on how to lead the organization and what role the prosecution should play in the country and society. Yoon did not have that time.” Moon served as Prosecutor General from 2017 to 2019, preceding Yoon.

Moon explained, “I asked Yoon for his understanding, telling him, ‘You will eventually become Prosecutor General, so don’t rush.’ He agreed. I explained to various figures in the Moon Jae-in administration that Yoon becoming the third Prosecutor General was the right course.”

He added, “It wasn’t so much that I opposed Yoon’s appointment, but rather that I suggested an alternative, and I believe I sufficiently convinced them of my position. It’s regrettable that the decision was overturned at the last moment.” 😔

Regarding the recurring cycle of presidential impeachment and the imprisonment of former presidents, Moon commented, “It’s absurd and strange that we maintain a ‘Jejangjeok Daetongryeongje‘ (Imperial Presidential System) in a democratic era. Power should be accompanied by control, but our society’s control system has weakened.” (*Jejangjeok Daetongryeongje* refers to a presidential system where the president wields immense power, often unchecked.)

On the issue of adjusting investigative powers between the prosecution and the police, he reaffirmed his stance, stating, “I oppose allowing either to conduct investigations independently. It’s detrimental to democracy. It’s not about who is right, but it’s essential that someone reviews and records the investigation process.” 👍

Earlier in his tenure, Moon had publicly opposed the adjustments to investigative powers, calling it “touching the wrong areas.”

Park Young-sun, former Minister of SMEs and Startups, who moderated the event, recalled, “As the chairperson of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Judicial Reform, I called Yoon Suk-yeol, then head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, to inquire about the prosecution’s opposition to the adjustments. To my surprise, he said, ‘Frankly, I’m not interested. The Prosecutor General and I have different views.’”

Park added, “In the hierarchical culture of the prosecution, he expressed a view contrary to the Prosecutor General, and to the chairperson of the Special Committee on Judicial Reform at that. I thought he was very reform-minded. It could be a theme for the popular saying ‘폭삭 속았수다’ (Poksak Sogatsuda – completely deceived).’” (Poksak Sogatsuda is a Korean expression often used humorously to express feeling completely fooled or deceived.)