Next 'Leading Candidate for Prosecutor General' Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District, Abruptly Submits Resignation

Chief Prosecutor Park: "Prioritize work over position... Now that honor is restored, it's time to step down as prosecutor"

On the morning of April 11, at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, is listening to the opening remarks of Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo during the nationwide chief prosecutors' meeting. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Park Chan-ho, Chief Prosecutor of Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office (56, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 26), who is considered a leading candidate for the next Prosecutor General, has abruptly tendered his resignation.

In his 'Resignation Announcement' posted on the internal prosecution network E-Pros on the morning of the 7th, Chief Prosecutor Park stated, "In the 'complete prosecution reform' phase, as a senior official of the prosecution, I have decided not to cling to my position. As an ordinary person, it was not easy to decide whether to stay or leave, and after considering various circumstances, I have come to this day."

He continued, "Since my appointment as a prosecutor, without any external agency dispatch or studying abroad, I have endured working solely within the prosecution with the mindset of 'a crooked tree protects the ancestral grave' and 'self-sufficiency like a pine tree'." He added, "There have truly been many events, and I have been directly involved in or observed many cases. Considering my conditions and background, I thought 'this is more than enough,' so I did not act out of greed but tried to protect the honor and pride as a prosecutor. I did my best with the intention of being upright and not ashamed in front of others as a prosecutor, but I cannot help but reflect on my shortcomings."

Chief Prosecutor Park was demoted and transferred to Jeju District Prosecutors' Office and then to Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office in personnel reshuffles shortly after former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae took office in 2020.

Park said, "When I was assigned to Jeju and Gwangju, I heard various stories from inside and outside, but I tried not to lose my spirit by reciting 'Jangpungparang ho-yu-si, jik-gwa-un-beom-je-chang-hae' (Li Bai, Difficult Journey) and also reflected on the passage 'To keep one's integrity, one must be prepared to endure humiliation' (Jo Ji-hoon, Theory of Integrity). I have lived thinking that this is a moment of opportunity to look back on myself and prepare for a new start, making it a space of memory."

He added, "I pledged to prioritize honor both during my tenure as a prosecutor and at the time of resignation, and not to hesitate. After enduring for a long time, I am grateful that an opportunity to restore my honor has come, and I feel very happy and relieved. Originally, I valued work over position, and now that my honor has been restored, I believe it is time to step down from the prosecutor position."

Chief Prosecutor Park also mentioned the situation where the prosecution became entangled in political factionalism during the Moon Jae-in administration. He said, "During my tenure as a prosecutor, I tried to uphold fairness and neutrality based on law and principles, and I believe I did not deviate from that. However, recently, I have been deeply distressed to see political factionalism in our society swallowing everything like a 'black hole,' causing the rule of law to collapse, and seriously distorting and damaging the prosecution's political neutrality, independence, and our purity. It pains me and makes me sad that even trust and harmony among colleagues within the prosecution are not the same as before."

He continued, "Eventually, in the 'complete prosecution reform' situation, I knew well that it should not happen for the country and the people, so I made every effort but could not reverse the situation. I believe that for the stability and development of our society, political factionalism should not be used as a basis for disputes in non-political areas such as private and judicial domains. I earnestly hope that recent unilateral changes to the criminal justice system, including 'complete prosecution reform,' will be reconsidered for the sake of the country and the people."

Chief Prosecutor Park is a representative 'specialist' within the prosecution, having served as a prosecutor at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, Research Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Deputy Head of the Financial and Tax Investigation Division 1 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Head of Special Investigation Division 3 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Head of Financial Investigation Division 1 at Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, Head of Defense Industry Investigation Division at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Second Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Head of Public Investigation Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

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