Overview
- Opposition People Power Party figures allege interference by the administration and demand Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho resign.
- The ruling Democratic Party defends the choice as prosecutorial self-restraint based on internal criteria and urges penalties for prosecutors who opposed it.
- Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office head Jung Jin-woo has offered to step down, while the Justice Ministry denies directing the decision.
- The lapse follows an Oct. 31 ruling that sentenced five defendants to four to eight years and ordered forfeiture, with the court not linking the convictions to President Lee.
- The decision not to appeal likely forecloses recovery of most of the roughly 489.5 billion won in alleged losses beyond 47.3 billion won confiscated, aligning with a broader push to curb mechanical appeals urged by the president in September.