Overview
- About 40 People Power Party lawmakers rallied outside the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, demanding acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok’s resignation, a special counsel and a parliamentary inquiry.
- Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho denied any role by President Lee Jae Myung, saying he told prosecutors to decide carefully and judged an appeal unnecessary after sentences exceeded the prosecution’s requests.
- Eighteen senior prosecutors and research officers at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office pressed for a full explanation, with some urging Noh to quit; local reporting says Noh is considering stepping down.
- A conservative civic group filed a criminal complaint accusing six officials, including the justice minister and acting prosecutor general, of abuse of power and obstruction over the non-appeal decision.
- The lower court recognized breach of trust but found losses could not be calculated above the legal threshold, leaving only roughly 47 billion won subject to confiscation and limiting any future sentencing or recovery efforts.