Neutrality in doubt

Nominee Yoon could be capable, but not best man

Prosecutor General nominee Yoon Seokyoul has been branded as the right person to lead prosecutorial reform by liberal politicians since being picked for the position last month by President Moon Jaein.

Yoon was a widely anticipated choice for the job given his strong track record as a reform-minded prosecutor and Moon's confidence in him. In the confirmation hearing, Monday, he had to prove that he was qualified for the job and, most of all, could stay politically neutral while conducting the reform. Disappointingly, however, his repeated pledges of political neutrality rang hollow.

Yoon made it clear that he doesn't oppose a prosecution reform bill which the National Assembly fast-tracked for an early vote. The bill, centered on balancing investigative powers between the prosecution and the police, was one of Moon's key campaign pledges during the 2017 presidential race.

Yoon's view on the reform bill contrasts the position of the outgoing prosecutor general, Moon Mooil, who publicly denounced it saying the bill was "against the spirit of democracy."

Yoon is facing suspicions that he has maintained a close relationship with Moon's long-time confidant Yang Jungchul, who is now working as the chief of a policy institute under the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. During the confirmation hearing, Yoon said he received a proposal from Yang to run in the general election at their first meeting in 2015, but rejected it. Yoon said he has met Yang twice, most recently in February this year, since being named head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in May 2017.

In fact, it is hard to expect neutrality from the top prosecutor here because the President has the appointment right, and the prosecution has long been used as a key tool to consolidate power. In many cases, prosecutors conducted biased investigations to curry favor with those in power and get promotions in return. It is hard to deny this perception toward the prosecution by the general public.

During the hearing, Yoon also failed to clear doubts about his possible ethical lapses. He is rather embroiled in a controversy that he lied to lawmakers during the hearing.

Yoon was grilled by opposition lawmakers about allegations that he was linked to a possible cover-up of a bribery case involving the brother of his friend, senior prosecutor Yoon Daejin. The nominee is suspected of having recommended a lawyer to his friend's brother to help him tackle the bribery probe.

At the hearing, the nominee testified he never recommended a lawyer to his friend's brother. However, a contradictory media interview he had in 2012 was revealed in the final hours of the confirmation hearing. During the interview, he clearly said he himself introduced a lawyer to his friend's brother.

Nominee Yoon then changed words, saying he did introduce a lawyer, but his friend's brother hired a different lawyer.

President Moon may believe Yoon is the right person to lead the prosecution at this time. But we cannot help but worry about what will happen.