[Exclusive] Nationwide Chief Prosecutors Issue Joint Statement: "Norman Seok, Decision to Forgo Appeal Unacceptable... Explain Yourself"

Chief Prosecutors Urge Detailed Explanation
of Circumstances and Legal Grounds
Behind Order to Forgo Appeal

Norman Seok, Acting Prosecutor General, is arriving at the Seoul Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News

Chief prosecutors from across the country have issued a statement urging Norman Seok, Acting Prosecutor General (Deputy Prosecutor General), to "explain the circumstances and legal grounds that led to the decision to forgo an appeal" in relation to the Daejang-dong development corruption case.

On the 10th, frontline chief prosecutors posted a message titled "We Request Additional Explanation from the Acting Prosecutor General" on the prosecution's internal network, Epros.

In their statement, the chief prosecutors said, "As those responsible for maintaining prosecutions at local prosecutors' offices, we once again request a detailed explanation from the Acting Prosecutor General regarding the circumstances and legal basis for the directive to forgo an appeal."

They added, "The position expressed by the Acting Prosecutor General does not include any specific circumstances or legal reasons for the decision to forgo an appeal, making it difficult for us to accept."

On the 7th, the prosecution decided not to appeal the first-instance sentences handed down to defendants convicted of corruption in the Daejang-dong development case. This decision was highly unusual, as the sentences were lighter than what the prosecution had requested. The situation escalated when the investigation team revealed that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the leadership of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office had blocked the submission of the appeal documents.

After Jinwoo Chung, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, expressed his intention to resign, further fueling controversy, Acting Prosecutor General Seok issued a statement saying, "This decision was made after careful consideration and consultation with the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, under my responsibility as Acting Prosecutor General."

The statement was signed by Jaeok Park, Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office; Hyunjun Park, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office; Youngbin Park, Chief Prosecutor of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office; Hyuncheol Park, Chief Prosecutor of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office; Seungcheol Lim, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office; Changjin Kim, Chief Prosecutor of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office; Jungmin Seo, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office; Manheum Lee, Chief Prosecutor of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office; Doyoon Yoo, Chief Prosecutor of the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office; Hyangyeon Kim, Chief Prosecutor of the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office; Hyuncheol Moon, Chief Prosecutor of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office; Daekyung Shin, Chief Prosecutor of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office; Hyuksu Park, Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office; Eungcheol Lee, Chief Prosecutor of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office; Sujin Jung, Chief Prosecutor of the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office; Kyungho Min, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office; Junbeop Lee, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office; and Kyuhyung Park, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office.

Taehoon Kim, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, and Eunjung Lim, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, did not sign the statement.

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