Justice Minister nominee Jeong Seong-ho arrives for his first day at the confirmation hearing preparation office on July 1 (left picture). Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, who announces his resignation on July 1, is seen arriving at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on June 17. / Reporter Lee Jun-heon, Photo by Yonhap News

Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, (54, 26th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) announced his resignation on July 1, just nine months after taking office as the second prosecutor general under the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration. A wave of resignations from other senior prosecutors followed, as the Ministry of Justice carried out a sweeping reshuffle of top-level prosecutorial personnel under the new Lee Jae-myung administration.

In a statement released on the day of his resignation, Shim said, “Considering various circumstances, I believe stepping down now is the final act of responsibility I can take.” He had already tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Justice the previous day. A retirement ceremony is scheduled for July 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul.

Those who also submitted their resignations include Lee Jin-dong, Deputy Prosecutor General (28th class), Shin Eung-seok, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office (28th class), Yang Seok-jo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office (29th class), and Byun Pil-geon, Director General for Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Justice (30th class). All of them had been promoted to senior positions under the Yoon administration. It was reported that Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo (29th class), who is also serving as acting Justice Minister, had phoned these officials the day before to inform them of the upcoming personnel changes.

The Ministry of Justice wasted no time in announcing new appointments for key senior prosecution posts. Noh Man-seok, Director of Narcotics and Organized Crime at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (29th class), was appointed as the new Deputy Prosecutor General. Jeong Jin-woo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Office (29th class), was named head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Lim Eun-jung, a senior prosecutor at the Daejeon District Office (30th class), was appointed to lead the Seoul Eastern District Office, while Kim Tae-hoon, a prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (30th class), will take over the Seoul Southern District Office.

Sung Sang-heon, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Office (30th class), was appointed Director General of the Prosecution Bureau at the Ministry of Justice. Choi Ji-seok, Director of Inspection at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office (31st class), was named Director General for Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Justice.

Regarding the Lee administration’s plans for prosecutorial reform, Shim said, “If reforms are pursued with fixed deadlines and predetermined conclusions, it could lead to many unforeseen side effects.” He emphasized the need to “listen to a wide range of opinions, including those from academia and practitioners, and engage in in-depth discussions to build a criminal justice system that serves the public.”

Previously, President Lee nominated Jeong Seong-ho, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, as the new Minister of Justice on June 29. He also appointed Bong Wook, a lawyer at Kim & Chang and former Deputy Prosecutor General, as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. Jeong said, “I believe there is public consensus on the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers, as well as on the redistribution of the prosecution’s concentrated powers.” The Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, which had twice canceled scheduled briefings from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, postponed the session once again on the same day, pressuring the prosecution to present actionable plans for implementing President Lee’s reform pledges.