It has been confirmed that more than 160 prosecutors have been removed this year alone due to the government and the ruling party’s prosecution reform drive based on the abolition of the prosecution office.
According to the data submitted by the Ministry of Justice to the National Assembly on the 23rd, 161 prosecutors retired from January to November 10 this year. It is the highest in the last 10 years.
The annual number of retirement tests jumped from ?70 in 2016 ?80 in 2017 ?75 in 2018 to 111 in 2019. Since then, the number has been 94 in 2020 and 79 in 2021 The number of retirees surged to 146 in 2022 and 145 in 2023. Last year, there were 132. In particular, 52 prosecutors with less than 10 years of age accounted for a third of this year’s prosecution retirees. This year is the first time more than 50 people in their 10th year have taken off their clothes.
The departure of young prosecutors, who have to work in full swing, is a huge loss to the government. A lawyer in Seoul said, “It is often ‘replaced’ from the top due to the change of the government, but it means that low-year prosecutors in charge of practice do not feel hopeful for the prosecution,” adding, “We should take it as a warning signal that criminal justice experts are leaving the government.” On the front line, prosecutors who have worked regardless of political circles have been criticized as targets for reform, and there are many complaints that morale is plummeting. Since the inauguration of the new government, more than 100 people have been appointed to the three special prosecutors, and the prosecution’s internal manpower shortage is expected to worsen as the permanent special prosecution on the suspicion of government officials and coupang has been launched. After the abandonment of the appeal in Daejang-dong, the ruling camp strongly pressured the prosecution, adding to internal complaints.
Although the prosecution continues to resign, the popularity of former prosecutors in the lawyer market seems to be somewhat decreasing. This is in line with the situation where law firms are increasing recruitment of former police officers due to the adjustment of investigative power. According to the Government Public Service Ethics Committee, 119 out of 395 retired police officers (30.1%) were employed or tried to get a job at a law firm from May 2022 to September this year.
