President Yoon nominates Vice Justice Minister Shim Woo-jung as new prosecutor general

President Yoon Suk-yeol nominated Deputy Justice Minister Shim Woo-jung as the next prosecutor general.

In a briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said Shim “has excelled in major areas of the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution," after listing his career as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the head of the Ministry of Justice's Planning and Coordination Office, the head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, and the deputy chief prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. "He is trusted by the members of the prosecution for his rational leadership, has a high level of knowledge of criminal procedure and the prosecution system, and a belief in establishing the rule of law," Chung said of Shim, adding, "We believe he is the right person to fulfill the prosecution's role of upholding the Constitution and the rule of law and protecting the people."

Shim, who is regarded as a "planning expert" within the prosecutor's office, was nominated as a candidate for the prosecutor general about seven months after he took office as vice justice minister on January 19. A native of Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, Shim is the son of former Governor of the province Shim Dae-pyeong. He graduated from Whimoon High School in Seoul and studied law at Seoul National University. He trained at the Judicial Research and Training Institute (26th class). He is three years junior to President Yoon (23rd class) and one year senior to the leader of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) Han Dong-hoon (27th class). Yoon and Shim have a history of working together in 2017 when Yoon was the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office and Shim was the head of the Criminal Department 1 of the prosecutors' office.

"I feel a heavy sense of responsibility," Shim told reporters in front of the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. “If I take office as the prosecutor general, I will do my best with all members of the prosecutor's office to ensure that the prosecution fulfills its mission and role of protecting people's fundamental rights and realizing justice so that it can gain the trust of the people."

Shim declined to comment on sensitive issues, including allegations of First Lady Kim Keon-hee's involvement in the manipulation of Deutsch Motors' stock prices.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.