Overview
- Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok offered to step down, and the presidential office said it plans to approve once the justice minister formally submits the request.
- Prosecutors chose not to appeal by last Friday’s deadline in the 2015 Seongnam Daejang-dong development case tied to President Lee Jae Myung’s mayoral tenure, drawing sharp internal backlash.
- Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho told lawmakers he gave no instructions and “did not oppose the appeal,” saying he only urged a careful decision and had no discussions with the presidential office.
- Conflicting accounts deepened the dispute after Noh reportedly said the vice minister presented him with limited “choices” on the appeal, a claim Vice Justice Minister Lee Jin-soo rejected.
- The Seoul Central District chief prosecutor has already tendered his resignation, and the opposition People Power Party is pressing for Jung’s ouster and clarification from the presidential office.