Riding the 'Hwang Unha Track,' Lee Seong-yoon Says "We Must End the Yoon Administration"

Lee Seong-yoon, a research fellow at the Legal Research and Training Institute who held key positions during the Moon Jae-in administration, tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Justice on the 8th to run for the National Assembly election. This comes three days before the deadline for public officials to resign (January 11).

On the same day, Lee posted on his social media (SNS) under the title "I have submitted my resignation letter," stating, "I have decided to step down from my position." He added, "From now on, I will do my best to put an end to the Yoon Seok-yeol pseudo regime and to purge the Yoon Seok-yeol faction," and declared, "I will stand at the forefront," effectively confirming his candidacy.

Lee Seong-yoon, Research Fellow at the Judicial Research and Training Institute [Photo by Yonhap News]

Lee is considered a representative 'pro-Moon prosecutor' within the prosecution, having served in key roles such as Director of the Prosecutor's Office at the Ministry of Justice, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office during the Moon Jae-in administration. He is also a junior alumnus of Kyung Hee University Law School, where former President Moon studied.

He strongly criticized President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is also a former prosecutor, saying, "He spent 57.8 billion won of taxpayers' money and claimed that overseas trips are equivalent to serving the people, spouting all kinds of rhetoric as if he were the embodiment of justice and fairness, but he becomes infinitely small in front of Kim Geon-hee," and added, "The people no longer intend to entrust their fate to a pseudo leader."

Lee is widely expected to run in Jeonju-eul, Jeollabuk-do. In November last year, he held a book launch event for his book "Flowers Are Innocent" at the Roh Moo-hyun Citizen Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Such book launch events are often interpreted in political circles as a de facto declaration of candidacy.

Controversy is expected to continue as Lee is still a 'current prosecutor' who is obligated to maintain political neutrality. However, based on the Supreme Court precedent that "if a resignation letter is submitted within the deadline stipulated by the Public Official Election Act, the candidate registration can proceed regardless of whether the resignation is accepted," it is anticipated that he can run in the general election. In the legal community, there are calls for legislative supplementation regarding the so-called 'Hwang Un-ha precedent,' which opened the door wide for incumbent public officials who must maintain political neutrality to run for office.

Additionally, Lee is currently undergoing an appellate trial at the Seoul High Court over allegations of covering up the illegal deportation investigation of Kim Hak-ui while serving as head of the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Under the current National Public Service Act, public officials who have been indicted or are under investigation or audit for criminal cases are not allowed to retire. Therefore, even if he runs in the upcoming general election, he is expected to maintain his status as a current prosecutor for the time being.

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