[Summary] Political Turmoil Over Yoon's Resignation... Ruling Party Criticizes "Irresponsible Resignation Damaging Prosecutor's Prestige," Calls Him "The Ultimate Political Prosecutor"

Yoon Seok-yeol Resigns as Prosecutor General "Justice and Common Sense Collapsed... My Work Ends Here"
President Moon Accepts Yoon Seok-yeol's Resignation Within an Hour
Ruling Party Calls It "Irresponsible Action," "Resignation Planned as a 'Political Show'"

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is giving a farewell speech as he leaves the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th after resigning.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 4th, just over a month before the April 7 by-elections, Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol abruptly resigned, sparking sharp criticism from the ruling party. Political circles predict that Yoon's resignation will have a considerable impact not only on the next presidential election but also on the by-elections. However, ruling party figures have defined Yoon's resignation as a political move and launched fierce attacks.

On the same day, Yoon held a press conference in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, stating, "I can no longer watch as the common sense and justice that our society has built up over many years collapse," and added, "My role in the prosecution ends here."

In a message to the prosecution members, he said, "I have done my best aiming for a 'fair prosecution, a prosecution for the people,' but I can no longer just watch the prosecution being destroyed and the anti-corruption system collapsing," and added, "Now, I resign from the position of Prosecutor General, which I have so arduously maintained. This is not to protect the prosecution's authority but to protect justice, common sense, democracy, and the rule of law in our society."

President Moon Jae-in accepted Yoon's resignation just one hour after he expressed his intention to resign. Thus, Yoon, who was appointed in July 2019, left the prosecution after 1 year and 8 months. Ultimately, Yoon became the 14th Prosecutor General who did not complete the term among the 22 Prosecutor Generals appointed since the implementation of the Prosecutor General's fixed term system in 1988.

The ruling party immediately reacted against Yoon's resignation. Choi In-ho, the senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, sharply criticized on his Facebook that "throwing away the position of Prosecutor General due to issues under discussion in the National Assembly is an extremely irresponsible act."

He said, "Yoon declared his loyalty to the prosecution organization himself, but in the end, his sudden resignation made things difficult for the prosecution," and criticized, "Yoon's sincerity was not with the prosecution but in his political moves."

He added, "Yoon's irresponsible resignation further damaged the status of the prosecution. This only strengthens the grounds for the need for prosecution reform."

Democratic Party spokesperson Heo Young also said, "Yoon's inaugural speech, in which he promised that the prosecution would be the subject of reform and continue uninterrupted reform until it becomes an institution trusted by the people, has been proven false," and pointed out, "Now, how politician Yoon Seok-yeol will be evaluated is entirely Yoon Seok-yeol's own responsibility."

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who abruptly tendered his resignation, is leaving the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th. President Moon Jae-in accepted Yoon's resignation about an hour later.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Presidential candidates from the ruling party also expressed regret over Yoon's resignation. Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, appeared on KBS Radio's 'Joo Jin-woo Live' on the same day and said he felt "complicated" about Yoon's resignation. Lee told Yoon, "You need to recognize whether the prosecution acted as a deep-rooted evil that covers up crimes that exist and fabricates crimes that do not exist to wield power."

He also commented on Yoon's future moves, saying, "As a citizen, he will fully enjoy political freedom and expression and will eventually engage in politics," and added, "It would be good if he engages in political activities that help the people through rational competition."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also expressed regret about Yoon's resignation during a regular briefing on current issues held at the Government Seoul Office briefing room. When asked about his opinion on Yoon's resignation, he said, "I deeply regret it."

He added, "We expected Yoon to faithfully uphold the President's state philosophy throughout his term and successfully complete the prosecution reform, which is the people's desire, but this happened," and said, "We will cooperate well with the Ministry of Justice and do our best to ensure that prosecution reform proceeds smoothly."

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, indicated that the ruling party would not stop pursuing prosecution reform despite Yoon's resignation. After visiting Startup Park in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, he told reporters that when asked whether Yoon's resignation would affect the Democratic Party's prosecution reform, "Prosecution reform will proceed without wavering." However, he refrained from commenting on Yoon's resignation, saying, "I have nothing to say."

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who abruptly tendered his resignation, is leaving the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 4th. President Moon Jae-in accepted Yoon's resignation about an hour later. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ruling party lawmakers also joined the chorus of criticism against Yoon. No Woong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said about Yoon's resignation, "It should be seen as a result of political calculation," and criticized, "Especially, the sudden resignation announcement right after the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate was just decided today is both a 'victim cosplay' and a 'planned resignation by the opposition party' to focus attention on the issue and steer the April by-election in their favor."

He added, "Yoon obstructed prosecution reform solely for the benefit of the prosecution until the end, and now even his resignation is a 'political show,' leaving him as the ultimate 'political prosecutor'."

Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae also criticized on his Facebook, "(Yoon) now seems to be following the usual steps of meeting people, going places, giving interviews, and so on," and called him "a shameless and cheap person."