South Korea Begins Search for Lee Administration’s First Prosecutor General
The Justice Ministry has formed a nine-member recommendation committee to select candidates for prosecutor general, filling a post that has been vacant for more than a year as South Korea implements a major overhaul of prosecutorial powers.
South Korea’s Justice Ministry began the formal process Tuesday to select the first prosecutor general of President Lee Jae Myung’s administration, moving to fill a position that has remained vacant for one year and three months.
The ministry formed a nine-member recommendation committee, including its chair, as required by law. Former Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il, who served as the first chief prosecutor under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, will lead the panel.
The vacancy dates to July 2025, when former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung resigned. Shim had been appointed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The prolonged absence of a permanent chief has extended into a period of significant institutional change for South Korea’s criminal justice system.
The successful nominee will head the Prosecution Service, which was launched on Oct. 2 under a reform designed to remove prosecutors’ independent investigative powers. The changes separate core prosecutorial functions from investigations, reshaping the role of the country’s top prosecutor and the agency the appointee will oversee. The prosecutor general will retain the two-year term used under the previous system.
The ministry will accept public recommendations for eight days beginning Wednesday. Candidates must have at least 15 years of experience in the legal profession, setting the threshold for those eligible to enter the formal review.
After the nomination period closes, the recommendation committee will examine candidates’ qualifications and narrow the field to three people. The justice minister will then choose one of those candidates for recommendation to President Lee. The committee’s shortlist will therefore be an advisory step rather than the final appointment decision.
The incoming chief will take office after the new Prosecution Service has already begun operating. The agency opened at the start of October as part of the administration’s effort to transfer independent investigative authority away from prosecutors while preserving their central role in prosecutions. That transition makes permanent leadership an important part of putting the reorganized system into practice.
No timetable was announced for completing the full appointment process beyond the eight-day public recommendation window. The committee’s formation nevertheless marks the first formal step toward ending the long vacancy and installing permanent leadership at the reorganized prosecution body.