Conflict between prosecutors, judges continues to grip legal circles

A conflict between South Korean prosecutors and judges over the head of the Supreme Court's criticism of the judicial system is unlikely to be resolved soon, as the country's chief prosecutor again expressed regret over the criticism Friday.

Lee Yong-hun, chief justice of the top court, recently sparked a backlash from prosecutors and lawyers by urging judges to "throw away" investigation records of prosecutors and saying attorneys deceive people with manipulative language.

He said testimonies collected by prosecutors "behind closed doors" should not outweigh statements made during trials.

Prosecutor-general Choung Sang-myoung said the entire law sector has been shaken by the chief justice's "improper" criticism.

"The comments are regrettable," he was quoted as telling prosecutors in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Friday.

Choung made similar comments the previous day, accusing Lee of being "disrespectful to the professional roles of the prosecution." The Korean Bar Association went further, demanding the resignation of the chief justice in a statement. The demand immediately prompted the Supreme Court to issue a statement of regret over the move.

The bar association threatened to take further measures regarding the top judge.

"We're going to discuss measures to follow up on the statement in a regular board meeting scheduled for Sept. 25," said Ha Chang-woo, spokesman for the organization. The measures might include a defamation suit and a demand for impeachment of the chief justice, he told reporters.

Lee remained tightlipped about the conflict from his remarks.

He is expected to express his position when he visits the Seoul High Court, the final leg on his tour of local courts across the nation, on Tuesday.

The dispute appears to have begun when prosecutors summoned a senior judge, equivalent in position to a vice minister, in August and searched his office for their investigation into a high-profile corruption scandal involving senior judges. The embattled judge later quit the post and was arrested on charges of influencing court proceedings in return for payment.

However, many agree that the center of the dispute is prosecutors' resistance to Lee's efforts to adopt an American-style judicial system in which court decisions are largely dependent on verbal debates in trials rather than documents. Lee has also triggered strong protests from prosecutors by ordering judges to use stricter criteria in issuing arrest warrants to prevent abuse of human rights.

Seoul, Sept. 22 (Yonhap News)