Norman Seok, the Acting Prosecutor General, arrived at the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 10th. He refrained from responding to questions from the press regarding the abandonment of an appeal in the Daejang-dong case.
It has been reported that researchers at the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office have decided to recommend Norman Seok’s resignation due to this incident. On the 10th, they planned to deliver a statement titled “Opinion of the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office Researchers” to Seok. The statement includes points such as, “The decision to abandon the appeal has resulted in the prosecution abandoning its core function, which is the duty to maintain public prosecution.” It also calls for Seok to “take appropriate responsibility, including expressing his position on his future.”
Additionally, the statement requests, “Please explain the specific factual background regarding why the investigation team’s opinion to appeal was not approved, and details of the decision-making process between the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and the Ministry of Justice, in a manner that can be understood by citizens and members of the prosecution.”
It is unusual for researchers at the Public Prosecutors’ Office to demand the resignation of their acting chief. It is understood that they convened a meeting the previous day and decided to request an accurate explanation of the facts related to the decision to abandon the appeal in the Daejang-dong case. Norman Seok previously stated, “After consulting the Ministry of Justice’s opinion, and comprehensively considering the intent and content of the judgment, it was deemed appropriate not to file an appeal in the Daejang-dong case,” but this was considered insufficient.
Meanwhile, 18 chief prosecutors from various districts also demanded via the internal prosecution network that Seok provide a detailed explanation of the reasons and legal grounds for the abandonment of the appeal. Kim Tae-hoon, the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District, and Lim Eun-jung, the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District, did not participate in the statement.
As conflicts regarding the abandonment of the appeal escalate within the prosecution, there are talks in the legal community of a “final rebellion” occurring, with the abolition of the Prosecutors’ Office slated for next September.