Final 4 Prosecutor General Candidates: 'Specialist' Yeo Hwan-seop, Director of Judicial Research and Training Institute, Resigns

Yeo Hwan-seop, Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. / Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Yeo Hwan-seop, head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (54, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 24), who was one of the final four candidates for the first Prosecutor General under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, has resigned.

According to the legal community on the 22nd, Director Yeo submitted his resignation letter to the Ministry of Justice on the same day.

It appears that Director Yeo resigned to avoid placing a burden on the command after Lee Won-seok, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and a junior by three classes, was nominated as a candidate for Prosecutor General. The prosecution has a unique culture of voluntary resignation when juniors or peers are appointed as Prosecutor General. Since Director Yeo is not a frontline high-ranking prosecutor, his swift decision to step down is interpreted in this context.

Currently, excluding Director Yeo, there are 11 senior frontline high prosecutors and chief prosecutors who are seniors to candidate Lee, who is from Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 27. There are three frontline district prosecutors who are peers.

Immediately after his nomination, candidate Lee reportedly contacted senior high prosecutors and chief prosecutors directly to express his regret that a junior was nominated as Prosecutor General and conveyed a message asking them to stay in the prosecution and unite for organizational stability.

Director Yeo is well-known for his work in special investigations, having served as head of the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. He was responsible for the detention and indictment of former lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk in 2012, former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon in 2013, and led the investigation team for the Kim Hak-ui villa sexual entertainment case in 2019.

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