New prosecutor general declares war on pro-N. Korean forces

(ATTN: UPDATES with Han's inaugural address in paras 1-3; CHANGES headline) SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- Han Sang-dae, the nation's newly appointed prosecutor general, on Friday declared a war on pro-North Korean activities and corruption. "The prosecution is the guardian of free democracy," Han said in his inaugural address. "It is the prosecution's obligation to crack down on North Korean followers and supporters operating in our society." He promised to reinforce the prosecution's public security organizations in order to more actively conduct an investigation into pro-North Korean forces here, while stepping up its crackdown on corruption. Earlier Friday, President Lee Myung-bak formally appointed justice minister nominee Kwon Jae-jin and prosecutor general nominee Han to their new posts. The National Assembly held confirmation hearings for the two earlier this month, though Lee does not need parliamentary consent to appoint them. The liberal parties have opposed the nominations, citing the candidates' alleged ethical problems and concern that their appointments could undermine the prosecution's political neutrality ahead of next year's parliamentary and presidential elections. Before the nomination, Kwon served as a senior presidential secretary. After the appointment ceremony, Lee asked Kwon and Han to show their commitment to political neutrality ahead of next year's elections, according to senior presidential spokesman Kim Du-woo. Lee also asked the new prosecutor general to try to thoroughly investigate influence-peddling and other forms of corruption, Kim said.