Seoul High Prosecutor Cho Sang-chul Resigns... First Senior Official to Submit Resignation Ahead of 'Park Beom-gye Prosecutorial Personnel Changes'

Josangcheol, Chief Prosecutor of Seoul High Prosecutors' Office / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Ahead of the upcoming personnel reshuffle for senior prosecutors at the level of chief prosecutors and above scheduled for June, Cho Sangcheol (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 23), the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, has tendered his resignation. This is the first resignation among senior prosecutors at the chief prosecutor level and above amid the tense atmosphere of a sweeping personnel reshuffle within the prosecution ahead of the launch of the Park Beomgye Ministry of Justice - Kim Osu Prosecutor General administration.

According to legal circles on the 28th, Chief Prosecutor Cho submitted his resignation to the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office on the same day. He gave a brief statement saying, "It is time to leave. I hereby tender my resignation."

Chief Prosecutor Cho, a classmate of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyoul at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, has served as the head of the Criminal Planning Division at the Ministry of Justice and as the head of the prosecution division. He also served as the Chief of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, spokesperson and director of the Planning and Coordination Office at the Ministry of Justice, and was transferred from the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office to the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office as Chief Prosecutor in August last year.

Currently, within the prosecution, the dominant expectation is that the personnel reshuffle to be carried out in early June will involve demotions of chief prosecutors and prosecutors who led investigations related to the current administration. In this context, a senior prosecutor at the chief prosecutor level and above has expressed his intention to resign.

Meanwhile, Minister Park is expected to promptly carry out personnel appointments for senior prosecutors such as chief prosecutors and prosecutors after hearing the Prosecutor General candidate Kim's opinions on the specific personnel plans once he is appointed as Prosecutor General. On the previous day, Minister Park mentioned to reporters on his way to the Government Complex Gwacheon regarding the prosecution personnel, "There is some backlog in personnel appointments. There are various difficulties related to the assignment system, so it seems the time has come to review everything comprehensively."

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice announced that after concluding the Prosecution Personnel Committee meeting the previous day, it plans to announce personnel appointments for prosecutors at the chief prosecutor level and above in early next month. The Prosecution Personnel Committee discussed a ‘flexible personnel’ plan to resolve the backlog of high seniority personnel.

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