By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter

Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil on Wednesday indicated the government may retain Prosecutor General Song Kwang-soo, despite speculation the presidential office of Chong Wa Dae may not condone his public show of disrespect for a government plan to streamline the prosecution.

Kang also made it clear the government has no concrete plan to remove a key investigation bureau of the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office (SPPO), an issue at the center of disputes between the government and the prosecution.

``We asked Song not to take issue with the government plan again, and he has agreed,’’ Kang said in a press briefing in the ministry building in Kwachon. ``As those in charge of the Justice Ministry and the prosecution, we apologize for causing concern and unnecessary debates.’’

The minister’s comment appears to be a gesture to patch up the ministry’s relationship with the prosecution, recently soured following media reports the government may scrap the central investigation bureau, the backbone of the SPPO.

On Tuesday, the rift between the two government bodies reached its peak when President Roh Moo-hyun made no secret of his displeasure over Song’s remarks that the government’s restructuring plan is aimed at weakening the power of the prosecution.

``It is inappropriate for the head of the prosecution to comment on government plans based on groundless rumor,’’ Roh told a Cabinet meeting at Chong Wa Dae. ``Some government-level measures should be taken immediately to resolve this issue.’’

Roh’s comments were interpreted as an indication the government wants Song to resign, taking responsibility for remarks allegedly targeting those at the center of power.

Based on media reports, Song raised speculation that ``those who are displeased with our investigation of political funds are trying to debilitate the prosecution.’’

Kang said however the government is indeed undergoing a study on how to successfully restructure the prosecution for efficient operation, but contended ``the measures are not to weaken the prosecution’s power.’’

``The ministry does not want this kind of problem to arise again,’’ said Kang, a strong backer and arguably an architect of Roh’s prosecution and judiciary reform.

The rift is widely seen as having resulted from a power struggle between the government and the prosecution, which has distanced itself from intervention in politics after dozens of politicians and businessmen were indicted as a result of months-long investigations into illicit fund raising.

Tension has been rising among prosecutors since the ministry announced its plan to revamp the prosecution. Last month, Roh instructed officials to conduct a feasibility study for the creation of an investigative body under the presidential Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption, separate from the state prosecution to monitor corruption among high-level government officials.

Government officials said the idea is to strengthen integrity in officialdom, but many prosecutors worry the presidential investigative body will undercut the role of the prosecution.

Adding fuel to the controversy, the ministry last week announced it will close down 16 public security bureaus at district prosecutors’ offices as part of a prosecution personnel restructuring. The plan drew wide criticism from prosecutors, who saw the move as an encroachment upon the independent investigative rights of their organization.

jj@koreatimes.co.kr