Unsettled Seocho-dong... Possibility of Mass Resignations Among 'Anti-Yoon Personnel'

Lee Seong-yoon, Han Dong-su, Shim Jae-cheol, Representative Anti-Yoon Figures... Yoon's Snipers
Voices Warning Against 'Pro-Yoon' Dominance in Key Positions... Prosecutor Lee Gyu-won Resigns Over Kim Hak-ui Report Manipulation

Yoon Suk-yeol, the president-elect of the 20th Republic of Korea, is giving a greeting speech at the People Power Party's campaign headquarters disbandment ceremony held at the National Assembly Library on the 10th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-joon] Attention is focused on the whereabouts of the top prosecution officials who opposed or led disciplinary actions against President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol during his tenure as Prosecutor General.

On the 11th, there are speculations within the prosecution that senior prosecutors who clashed with President-elect Yoon might submit mass resignations after his inauguration. There is no precedent of prosecutors resigning simply because the administration changed. However, since these individuals were the very ones who cornered Yoon, who was Prosecutor General just a year ago, there is growing analysis that they may decide to voluntarily retire to secure an exit strategy.

A representative figure is Lee Seong-yoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office (age 60, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 23). Lee, a junior from President Moon Jae-in’s university, was favored by the current administration and acted as a key figure targeting President-elect Yoon during former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s tenure. Lee and Yoon were classmates at the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

Lee was criticized for failing to report sensitive investigation matters directly to the Prosecutor General during his time as Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, reducing reports to mere formalities and thereby disrupting the normal reporting system. As Director of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice, he was also criticized for personnel abuses, including demoting all of Yoon’s close aides under the pretext of the ‘Cho Kuk incident.’

Han Dong-soo, Director of the Inspection Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (age 56, class 24), also opposed President-elect Yoon. When the ‘media-prosecution collusion’ allegations were reported, Han sent a text message notifying Yoon of the start of an inspection but ignored Yoon’s order to halt the inspection. He also played a decisive role during former Minister Choo’s efforts to discipline Yoon.

The whereabouts of those who led disciplinary actions during the unprecedented disciplinary request and suspension of the sitting Prosecutor General at the peak of the so-called ‘Choo-Yoon conflict’ are also drawing attention.

The person who played the most decisive role in filing the disciplinary request against Yoon was Shim Jae-cheol, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office (age 53, class 27, then Director of the Prosecution Bureau). Shim reported to former Minister Choo that Yoon had ordered the collection of information on judges through the Investigation Information Policy Office (now the Information Management Office) at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, known as the ‘judge surveillance document allegations.’ Based on this, former Minister Choo initiated disciplinary procedures against Yoon. Shim, regarded as a pro-government prosecutor, acted in multiple roles?whistleblower of the judge documents, supervisor of inspections, and member of the disciplinary committee?leading Yoon’s inspection and disciplinary process.

Additionally, Lee Jung-hyun, Director of the Public Investigation Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (age 54, class 27), who submitted a statement advocating for Yoon’s two-month suspension, and Lee Jong-geun, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (age 53, class 28), who is suspected of having pre-discussed Yoon’s disciplinary action with then Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu, are also figures who opposed Yoon.

Some voices are warning against the monopolization of key positions by ‘pro-Yoon’ prosecutors in the prosecution amid the unsettled atmosphere, replacing the anti-Yoon figures who have stepped down.

Meanwhile, Lee Gyu-won, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office (age 45, class 36), who is currently on trial for charges including submitting a false report on a meeting with construction businessman Yoon Joong-chun?central to the ‘villa sexual entertainment allegations’?and applying for a travel ban on former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui using a fake case number, tendered his resignation yesterday.

Lee is accused of falsely stating in a report that Yoon Joong-chun made a remark that ‘Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol seemed to have visited the villa in Wonju’ during the 2019 investigation into allegations of sexual entertainment involving former Deputy Minister Kim, a statement that Yoon Joong-chun never made.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.