jasdooit

The Ministry of Justice stated that 22 prosecutors at the high prosecutors’ office level (including deputy heads and heads) had resigned within six days, as of the morning of the 4th, after personnel changes were announced on the 29th of last month involving 927 prosecutors, such as those at the high prosecutors’ office level and regular prosecutors. Prosecutors at the high prosecutors’ office level hold mid-level management positions within the prosecution system.

Prosecutor Park Joo-sung, a member of the 32nd cohort at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, was moved from his position as head of the trial division at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office to a prosecutor role at the Suwon High Prosecutors’ Office. The day before, he shared a farewell note on the internal prosecution network, e-Pros, stating, “I have reached this point with the support of others, and I am thankful for all that has happened so far.” Prosecutor Park had been under investigation following claims that he overlooked forensic evidence from investigators indicating that a letter, which was used to suspect President Lee Jae Myung’s connection to organized crime, was fake.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Hyun-ah, from the 33rd class and based at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, who headed the trial team during the so-called “mass walkout incident” at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, also stated her intention to resign. On the 30th of last month, Prosecutor Kim wrote on e-Pros, “I am thankful to the prosecution and the country for allowing me to serve as a prosecutor for more than 20 years,” and added, “I feel regretful and sorry for those who remain, as it seems I am leaving behind a burden that we once shared together.”

Furthermore, Prosecutor Kim Hae-kyung, from the 34th cohort and deputy chief prosecutor at the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office, who was reassigned to a position at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office; Prosecutor Kim Yoon-jung, from the 35th cohort and deputy chief prosecutor at the Ansan Branch Office, who was transferred to the human rights protection officer role at the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office; and Prosecutor Hong Jeong-yeon, from the 38th cohort and former head of Criminal Division 3 at the Bucheon Branch Office, who was set to become the chief of the Labor Investigation Support Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, also announced their resignations.

Prosecutor Jang Jae-wan, from the 34th class and head of the Anti-Corruption Planning Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office; Prosecutor Lim Sun-hwa, from the 34th class and senior research prosecutor in the Criminal Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office; Prosecutor Kim Tae-hyung, from the 35th class and deputy chief prosecutor at the Cheonan Branch Office; and Prosecutor Lee Kyung-min, from the 38th class and head of Criminal Division 6 at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, also submitted their resignations. Prosecutor Kim Yong-sik, from the 34th class and prosecutor at the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office, who was in charge of investigating the “Baekhyeon-dong Development Preferential Treatment Allegations” while serving as head of Special Division 3 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, also resigned. Prosecutor Kim wrote on e-Pros, “A professional must stake everything they have.”

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Kim Woo, a 32nd-grade official at the Daegu High Prosecutors’ Office, who had already announced his resignation prior to the personnel announcement, shared a message on e-Pros the day before: “If I have made even a small contribution to society as a prosecutor over the past 20 years, it is due to the support of my colleagues in the prosecution. Although the prosecution is currently facing challenges, I feel sorry for my fellow officers as I concentrate on my own future.” Prosecutor Kim was accused of making personnel requests through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman known as Geonjin. Prosecutor Kim has denied these allegations.

Prosecutor Kim mentioned Sophocles’ play *Oedipus Rex*, stating, “Similar to the narrative of fighting against an inevitable destiny only to end up caught in it, I step into the fate of retirement as a person, yet I realize that life held significance not just in attaining outcomes but also in developing one’s unique approach.”