Acting prosecutor general may step down after decision not to appeal draws heavy backlash
Published: 11 Nov. 2025, 13:59
Updated: 11 Nov. 2025, 15:18
![Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok arrives at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 10. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/11/65db6edb-ceb3-4dcc-8bc8-8a0776c1182c.jpg)
Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok arrives at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 10. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]
Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok is reportedly considering stepping down after deciding not to appeal the court ruling in the Daejang-dong land development case, a decision that drew fierce backlash from within the prosecution.
“I’m not feeling well, so I’ll be taking a day off to reflect on a lot of things,” Noh said during a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday. “I feel relieved. I want to live as a person named Noh Man-seok, not as a prosecutor.”
The Daejang-dong scandal involves allegations of preferential treatment and illicit profit-sharing in a massive development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, during the mayoral tenure of President Lee Jae Myung. Key figures in the project, including Yoo Dong-gyu, the former acting president of the Seongnam Development Corporation, were accused of manipulating the project’s structure to divert excessive profits to private investors with political connections.
Prosecutors argue that while the court in the first trial ordered partial forfeiture from private developers, it did not mandate the full return of criminal profits. By not appealing, prosecutors say the country may lose the chance to reclaim the entire amount, undermining accountability in a major corruption case.
![Yoo Dong-gyu, the former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp, speaks to the press as he arrives for the first-trial sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Oct. 31. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/11/32e6b7e6-d239-4aed-b95f-bb9679cafb78.jpg)
Yoo Dong-gyu, the former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp, speaks to the press as he arrives for the first-trial sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Oct. 31. [NEWS1]
If Noh resigns, it would mark the first time in 13 years that a prosecution chief has stepped down in response to internal pressure, with the last time being Prosecutor General Han Sang-dae’s resignation in 2012 over the disbandment of the Central Investigation Department.
Noh was asked to resign by directors at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. in a closed-door meeting on Monday. He reportedly responded, “Please give me a day or two. I’ll sort things out by then.”
Noh also told them that Vice Justice Minister Lee Jin-soo had delivered concerns about appealing the ruling and presented him with several options, all of which implied dropping the appeal.
“It was an unavoidable situation,” Noh said, acknowledging de facto pressure from the Justice Ministry.
Later that day, more than 10 research prosecutors at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office visited Noh’s office and demanded his resignation.
Noh told them, “Considering the current state of the prosecution and its relationship with the presidential office and the Ministry of Justice, I had to comply. I instructed the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to reconsider the appeal, and he decided not to proceed.
“I struggled with this too,” he added.
As speculation about presidential office involvement escalated, Noh told the JoongAng Ilbo, “I withdrew the appeal thinking it was the only way to keep the prosecution alive with the threat of its dismantling looming. But my fellow prosecutors don’t seem to agree. As prosecutor general, I can’t help but keep the presidential office and the Justice Ministry in mind when handling any matter — not just specific cases.”
A presidential office official strongly denied any involvement.
“There was absolutely no interference,” the official said. “Even the civil affairs team was only informed of the decision to not appeal.”
But Noh’s account conflicts with Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho’s earlier remarks. While Jung said he merely advised caution, Noh said the ministry effectively instructed him not to appeal.
If Noh’s account is true, it would suggest that he accepted a final directive from the Justice Minister not to appeal and then instructed the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to follow suit.
![The Prosecution Service flag and the Korean flag in the wind at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 10. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/11/604a9e6e-5072-48b2-97b0-524143fd3ce4.jpg)
The Prosecution Service flag and the Korean flag in the wind at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 10. [YONHAP]
Earlier that day, Jung told reporters that since Yoo, a key figure in the Daejang-dong case, had received a sentence harsher than what prosecutors had requested, it was not problematic to forgo an appeal.
“I only advised the prosecution to make a careful decision through the vice minister and the prosecution bureau,” Jung said.
Calls for Noh’s resignation mounted throughout Monday. In addition to the research prosecutors, the deputy prosecutors general — among Noh’s top aides — also urged him to step down during a morning meeting.
Park Cheol-woo, head of the Anti-Corruption Department who was involved in the decision to drop the appeal, reportedly did not take part in the call for Noh’s resignation.
Later in the afternoon, division heads at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office also visited Noh to demand he clarify his position.
Prosecutors from 18 district offices nationwide, eight branch offices with deputy prosecutors and 12 smaller branches also issued statements opposing the appeal withdrawal.
In a joint statement, Park Jae-eok, head of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, criticized Noh’s explanation as lacking both legal reasoning and a clear account of the decision-making process.
Ha Dam-mi, chief of the Anyang Branch Prosecutors’ Office, speaking for eight branch chiefs under the Suwon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan and Gwangju offices, wrote on the internal bulletin board e-Pros, “Unless the background of the appeal withdrawal is fully explained, it will leave an irreversible scar on the prosecution’s core values and its reason for existence.”
![The prosecution’s logo is seen on the glass doors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 10. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/11/092ca5ad-b1a1-44e7-b36d-8dee7b043827.jpg)
The prosecution’s logo is seen on the glass doors of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul on Nov. 10. [YONHAP]
“We demand a convincing explanation from those in positions of responsibility, and behavior befitting their rank,” Ha added.
Newly appointed professors at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Yongin also posted a message on ePros requesting further clarification from Noh.
Other prosecutors joined the chorus of criticism.
Former Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office chief Jung Yu-mi, now a research fellow at the Institute of Justice, wrote on e-Pros, “Noh will be remembered as the most disgraceful prosecutor in history for surrendering to power. Since you said, ‘It’s my responsibility,’ you should take responsibility and step down.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM BO-REUM,JUNG YOO-JIN,JEONG JIN-WOO,SUK GYEONG-MIN AND KIM SEONG-JIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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