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President Moon Jae-in speaks to Sohn Suk-hee, a journalist with JTBC, at the Blue House on April 14. (provided by the Blue House)

Two weeks ahead of the new administration’s launch, outgoing President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol were sharply at odds once again over prosecutorial issues.

Responding to Moon’s remarks the day before describing Yoon’s entry into politics as the “politicization of the prosecution service,” Yoon’s spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said Tuesday that his election was the “result of the Moon administration’s privatization of power.”

In a briefing, Bae said, “The South Korean people are quite tired of [the Moon administration] pressuring the other side and privatizing power using all the power institutions of government agencies, including not just the prosecutors but the police and the National Tax Service.”

“That seems like exactly what set the stage for Yoon Suk-yeol’s emergence as the president-elect,” she suggested.

“Even without us explaining things, I think President Moon and the Democratic Party are more aware of [why Yoon was elected as the People Power Party presidential candidate] than anyone,” she added.

Another official with Yoon’s camp said, “I don’t think anyone would dispute that what led the public to turn the former Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol from a political newcomer into the president-elect was the tremendous sense of fatigue and anger that the previous administration left them feeling.”

The day before, Moon had commented in a conversation with JTBC anchor Sohn Suk-hee about Yoon’s decision to step down as prosecutor general in March 2021 and enter politics.

“[Yoon’s election] was ultimately the public’s choice,” he said, adding that “prosecutors general serving out their guaranteed term is tremendously important to prevent the politicization of the prosecutors.”

“It wasn’t good for him to quit midway through,” he remarked.

Moon also commented that it “ultimately did come across as strange for a former prosecutor general to become the opposition party candidate and eventually win the election.”

“It’s quite ironic,” he said, suggesting he wasn’t pleased about the former prosecutor general being the one spearheading a change in administrations.

Additionally, Moon spoke critically about prosecutors’ investigation of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk while Yoon was at the helm of the prosecution service.

“There were a lot of curious aspects in terms of the timing and the investigation methods, which you could see as suggesting some goal or intention,” he said.

Han Dong-hoon, the nominee to serve as the new administration’s minister of justice, added his two cents to the back-and-forth between the outgoing and incoming leaders.

In his conversation with Sohn, Moon commented on Han’s remarks about “doing whatever it takes to stop” the push to separate prosecutors’ investigation and indictment powers.

“That sort of expression is highly inappropriate,” Moon said at the time.

Responding to questions from the press on Tuesday, Han fired back that it was “problematic in terms of professional ethics and conscience to stay silent and not speak out as the nominee who would be responsible for matters on the ground as minister of justice.”

By Lee Wan, staff reporter; Kim Hae-jeong, staff reporter

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