Acting Prosecutor General Nomanceok, who expressed his resignation, is leaving work at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 12th. Yonhap News. 

Acting Prosecutor General Nomanceok (Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office) has offered his resignation on the 12th without clarifying the circumstances leading to the abandonment of the appeal in the Daejang-dong development corruption case, leaving the truth behind allegations of 'external pressure from the Ministry of Justice' as an unresolved issue.

The acting prosecutor general announced his resignation through a press release from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's spokesperson's office, stating only, "I will elaborate on my detailed position at my farewell ceremony."

On his way home that day, the acting prosecutor general left without making any separate statements or being exposed to the media.

Within the prosecution, there were voices calling for the acting prosecutor general to take responsibility for the situation and step down, as well as opinions that a clear investigation into the allegations of external pressure from the Ministry of Justice should take precedence. Therefore, it is speculated that the controversy will not be completely resolved solely by the acting prosecutor general's resignation.

In particular, as the Supreme Prosecutors' Office notified the Central District Prosecutors' Office's investigation and litigation teams of the decision not to appeal after the acting prosecutor general spoke with the Vice Minister of Justice Lee on the evening of the 7th, the deadline for the Daejang-dong case appeal, the controversy has escalated into a dispute over the truth surrounding allegations of external pressure from the Ministry of Justice.

Two days after the decision to abandon the Daejang-dong appeal, on the 9th, the acting prosecutor general stated, "This decision was made in consultation with the head of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, taking into account the Ministry of Justice's opinion, as is customary," but Jung Jin-woo, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, immediately followed up with a contrasting statement, saying, "We persuaded the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Central District Prosecutors' Office's opinion but could not prevail."

Acting Prosecutor General Nomanceok is arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 12th. Yonhap News. 

In response, 18 senior prosecutors and 20 branch office heads issued a joint statement on the 10th, urging the acting prosecutor general to provide a more detailed explanation of the circumstances. However, the acting prosecutor general has not made any further official statements since then.

However, the suspicion that the Minister and Vice Minister of Justice effectively pressured the prosecution leadership to abandon the appeal intensified when it was reported that the acting prosecutor general confided in a closed-door meeting with the heads of divisions at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office that "Vice Minister Lee expressed concerns about the appeal and presented several options for abandoning it."

Speculation has also emerged from legal circles that the Ministry of Justice might have used the supplementary investigation rights as a bargaining chip to obtain the decision to abandon the appeal from the prosecution leadership.

Minister of Justice Chung Sung-ho and Vice Minister Lee have vehemently denied these allegations, stating they merely conveyed an opinion for "careful consideration."

Minister Chung claimed he merely told Vice Minister Lee, "Given the heavy sentence, wouldn't it be necessary to consider it carefully?" Vice Minister Lee stated, "I called Acting Prosecutor General Nomanceok once to convey the minister's opinion and made it clear that it was not an exercise of investigative authority."

While the Ministry of Justice denies the allegations of external pressure and the acting prosecutor general has not clearly explained the process of exchanging opinions with the Ministry of Justice, criticism within the prosecution has grown that the acting prosecutor general made a hasty political judgment without respecting the investigation team's opinion.

Ultimately, the acting prosecutor general's resignation is expected to temporarily quell the internal backlash within the prosecution. However, given the internal conflicts observed between the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office investigation team and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office leadership, and between the first and second Daejang-dong investigation teams, it is speculated that the situation is merely a "temporary patch" unless the acting prosecutor general provides a clear explanation of the circumstances.

Kang Baek-shin, a prosecutor at the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office who was in charge of maintaining the Daejang-dong indictment, claimed in a post on the prosecution's internal network that he received notification from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office not to appeal without any reason. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office, however, maintains that there was insufficient time to consult with the field offices, indicating a difference in perception of the situation.

Furthermore, prosecutors from the first Daejang-dong investigation team, formed during the Moon Jae-in administration, questioned the process of gathering opinions from the Central District Prosecutors' Office, arguing that only the opinions of the second investigation team were reflected in the decision to abandon the appeal.

Yonhap News