Acting prosecutor general quits in wake of uproar over appeal

Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok leaves the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District, Seoul, after tendering his resignation, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok resigned Wednesday amid a political uproar over the prosecution’s decision not to appeal a court ruling in a contentious land development case that potentially implicates President Lee Jae Myung.

The dispute centers on the Daejang-dong urban development project, a sprawling plan launched while Lee was mayor of the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The project has since become one of the most politically charged issues of his presidency. The presidential office said it would accept Noh’s resignation once Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho formally recommends his dismissal, signaling deepening tensions between the administration and prosecutorial leadership.

The controversy over the Daejang-dong development project has escalated into a full-blown confrontation between the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The dispute, rooted in questions over land acquisition and zoning approvals in Seongnam — a satellite city of Seoul — and its Daejang-dong district, has spilled from parliamentary debates into street rallies, underscoring the political stakes ahead of upcoming local elections.

During a budget committee session in the morning and a judiciary committee meeting in the afternoon, lawmakers clashed over whether the ministry or the presidential office influenced the prosecution’s decision not to appeal. That effectively brought the criminal case against the developers linked to the Daejang-dong project to an end, sparking accusations of political interference and institutional breakdown.

PPP lawmakers pressed the justice minister to explain his involvement in the decision. Rep. Bae June-young asked whether Jung had directed Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo to instruct the prosecution to forgo the appeal. Jung replied, “I gave no such order and never discussed the case with the presidential office.”

He described his comment to prosecutors to “make a prudent judgment” as “a routine expression, not pressure.”

Jung added that he had not opposed an appeal and that the decision was made by acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok, who cited “institutional circumstances” and coordination with the ministry when explaining the move to subordinates.

Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, chairman of the People Power Party, speaks at a rally Wednesday in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, demanding the recovery of 740 billion won in state funds from businessmen tied to a major land development project in Seongnam’s Daejang-dong district during President Lee Jae Myung’s tenure as mayor. Jang also denounced what he described as outside pressure on prosecutors to drop their appeal in the case. Yonhap

The DPK accused prosecutors who protested the decision of staging a “collective revolt.” DPK leader Jung Chung-rae called it “a clear act of insubordination and disruption of state discipline,” demanding disciplinary action and even legal reforms to enable the dismissal of senior prosecutors.

The party also reiterated its long-standing claim that the original indictment was politically motivated.

The PPP, meanwhile, escalated its counterattack.

At a large rally held on the steps of the Assembly, the party condemned what it called “outside pressure” behind the decision. Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok denounced President Lee Jae Myung, saying, “The appeal withdrawal marks the beginning of efforts to cancel the charges against him. The Daejang-dong scandal has Lee at its core.”

PPP floor leader Song Eon-seog demanded the resignations of both Jung and Noh, describing the decision as “a suicide note for Korea’s judicial system.”

He called for a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel probe into possible presidential involvement.

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho fields questions from lawmakers over the prosecution’s decision to drop its appeal in a case involving a major land development project in Seongnam, when President Lee Jae Myung was mayor of the city, during a session of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

The conservative opposition has also reignited its campaign of outdoor protests, holding back-to-back rallies in front of the Ministry of Justice in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul earlier this week.

Party officials said that nationwide demonstrations are under consideration, framing the issue as part of what they call the government’s “authoritarian drift.”

However, political observers noted that the PPP may struggle to gain broader traction unless it distances itself from the “coup frame” narrative that has surrounded recent investigations into former conservative leaders.

Noh’s resignation, tendered just five days after the prosecution dropped its appeal, marks the first time in 13 years that a prosecutor general has stepped down due to internal backlash. With both the prosecutor general and deputy posts now vacant, senior prosecutor Cha Soon-gil is expected to serve as acting chief until a successor is appointed.

The scandal, which involves an estimated 740 billion won ($506 million) in disputed profits from the Daejang-dong real estate development project, has become a political flash point, testing the boundaries between judicial independence and political accountability.