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PPP Seeks Justice Minister’s Ouster as Seongnam Appeal Dispute Intensifies

Opposition leaders say prosecutors faced undue pressure to drop a routine appeal in the Daejang-dong corruption case.

Jang Dong-hyeok (5th from L, 1st row), leader of the main opposition People Power Party, and the party's other lawmakers stage a protest rally at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, on Nov. 18, 2025, to demand Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho step down, as the party alleges the government has pressured the prosecution into not appealing a high-profile development corruption case linked to President Lee Jae Myung from his time as mayor of Seongnam. (Yonhap)
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho attends a session of the special committee on budget and accounts at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 13, 2025. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • People Power Party lawmakers held a rally on Tuesday calling for Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho to resign and for a parliamentary probe and special counsel.
  • Justice Minister Jung has denied directing prosecutors on the case and said his priority is stabilizing the justice ministry and the prosecution.
  • News reports say the ministry is weighing reassignments that would effectively demote 18 district prosecutor chiefs who publicly objected to the appeal withdrawal, with possible inspections also under consideration.
  • The controversy stems from prosecutors failing to file an appeal after partial acquittals in the Seongnam development case, a step widely viewed as standard following such rulings.
  • Internal rifts have widened within the prosecution service, with multiple senior figures offering to resign after the no-appeal decision and after consultations with the minister were acknowledged, according to The Korea Herald.