Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea
Encyclopedia
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea(SPO) is a governmental prosecutor
organization in South Korea
and is run under the Ministry of Justice. As a national representative of prosecutors it works with the Supreme Court of South Korea
and below. It is often paired as the equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
of the United State of America.
, has an uneasy stance with the budget issues and eventually generated severe disputes relating to corruptions and it contributed to criticisms against the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
. There was concerns that he was released under the court orders despite the Supreme Prosecutors' Office over-pressured his investigation to cater the current ruling party. This is because rat is the popular nickname of the current President Lee Myung-bak
. The Non-governmental organization
citizen group called the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy planned to present his incident to the 16th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
. He later argued in his own defense that his rat drawing of the South Korean president has artistic merits. He was later fined. This has caused disputes of whether freedom of speech is legally valid in South Korea. However, some netizens proposed to pay his fine by selling t-shirts of his rat drawing.
Lee Chang-dong
had petitioned against the prosecution of Park Jeong-su.
Park later remarked "after I experienced this incident, despite the freedom of the press
and the freedom of speech
are mandated by law, I feel that the political authority dictates both of them in reality".
PD Note about this incident.
has right-wing political characteristics. There was a series of allegations of sabotages against the current non-partisan mayor, Park Won-soon
, by the SPO before the October 2011 election. Politicians who had supported former president Roh Moo-hyun
also supported Park Won-soon under a unified intention to oppose the current SPO. The SPO's investigations against Han Myeong-sook has led to more controversy as the Seoul High Court has found her innocent twice in the row. However, the SPO has immediately appealed the decision, citing 11 different counts of evidence. Amongst them were direct statements by Han man-ho that he paid her 900,000,000 won in illegal fund money, Han Myeong-sook's siblings usage 100,000,000 won checks, and 240,000,000 won in Mrs. Han's bank account that had a 'suspicious trail'. The SPO alleges that Han Myeong-sook's assistant was taking the fall to cover for her illegal activities.
suggested that the SPO's resistance against reformations during the previous Participation Government, in which it also succeeded as the spearhead of the right-wing Lee Myung-bak government, eventually contributed to the unjust investigations against Roh in 2009.
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
organization in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and is run under the Ministry of Justice. As a national representative of prosecutors it works with the Supreme Court of South Korea
Supreme Court of South Korea
The Supreme Court of Korea is the highest court in South Korea. It is located in Seoul.Articles 101-110 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea establish the Supreme Court and enumerates its powers and responsibilities.-Composition:...
and below. It is often paired as the equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
of the United State of America.
Organization
It consists of:- Supreme Prosecutors' Office (대검찰청)
- High Prosecutors' Office (고등검찰청)
- District Prosecutors' Office (지방검찰청)
Controversies
Since the latter half of the year 2010, the ruling political party in South Korea, the Grand National PartyGrand National Party
The Grand National Party is a conservative political party in South Korea. Its Korean name, Hannara, has a double meaning as "Great National" and "Korean National." The GNP holds a majority of seats in the 18th Assembly, lasting from 2008 to 2012....
, has an uneasy stance with the budget issues and eventually generated severe disputes relating to corruptions and it contributed to criticisms against the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
G20 Submit Poster Incident
There was an incident where a university instructor, Park Jeong-su, vandalized a G-20 promotional poster by drawing a rat before the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit2010 G-20 Seoul summit
The 2010 G20 Seoul Summit was the fifth meeting of the G-20 heads of government, to discuss the global financial system and the world economy, which took place in Seoul, South Korea on November 11–12, 2010...
. There was concerns that he was released under the court orders despite the Supreme Prosecutors' Office over-pressured his investigation to cater the current ruling party. This is because rat is the popular nickname of the current President Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
. The Non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
citizen group called the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy planned to present his incident to the 16th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
. He later argued in his own defense that his rat drawing of the South Korean president has artistic merits. He was later fined. This has caused disputes of whether freedom of speech is legally valid in South Korea. However, some netizens proposed to pay his fine by selling t-shirts of his rat drawing.
Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and novelist. He won the 2008 Special Director's Prize at the Asian Film Awards and has been nominated for the Golden Lion and Palme d'Or. Lee served as South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.-Life and career:Lee...
had petitioned against the prosecution of Park Jeong-su.
Park later remarked "after I experienced this incident, despite the freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
and the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
are mandated by law, I feel that the political authority dictates both of them in reality".
Prosecutor General
The future prosecutor general, Han Sang-dae (한상대) is under investigation for his two incidents of false address registration and his participation of draft-dodging.Civilian Inspections
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office is alleged for hypocritical actions that it poorly mismanaged the investigation of the illegal political-level inspections towards civilian institutions in 2010, however restricted an episode of MBCMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
PD Note about this incident.
Right-wing political policing
The SPO under the Lee Myung-bak governmentLee Myung-bak government
The Lee Myung-bak government is sixth consecutive government of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. It was officially launched on February 25th, 2008, under Lee Myung-bak's victory in the 2007 presidential election...
has right-wing political characteristics. There was a series of allegations of sabotages against the current non-partisan mayor, Park Won-soon
Park Won-soon
Park Won-soon is a Korean lawyer. He was elected as Mayor of Seoul, South Korea on October 26, 2011. Elected as an independent candidate with the support of the Democratic Party and Democratic Labor Party, Park's victory is seen as a blow in particular to the Grand National Party and the...
, by the SPO before the October 2011 election. Politicians who had supported former president Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
also supported Park Won-soon under a unified intention to oppose the current SPO. The SPO's investigations against Han Myeong-sook has led to more controversy as the Seoul High Court has found her innocent twice in the row. However, the SPO has immediately appealed the decision, citing 11 different counts of evidence. Amongst them were direct statements by Han man-ho that he paid her 900,000,000 won in illegal fund money, Han Myeong-sook's siblings usage 100,000,000 won checks, and 240,000,000 won in Mrs. Han's bank account that had a 'suspicious trail'. The SPO alleges that Han Myeong-sook's assistant was taking the fall to cover for her illegal activities.
The suicide of Roh Mu-hyun
The former chief secretary to late President Roh Mu-hyun, Moon Jae-inMoon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in is a South Korean lawyer and the former chief secretary to late President Roh Mu-hyun, He was the founding members of the progressive South Korean newspaper, The Hankyoreh, in 1988...
suggested that the SPO's resistance against reformations during the previous Participation Government, in which it also succeeded as the spearhead of the right-wing Lee Myung-bak government, eventually contributed to the unjust investigations against Roh in 2009.