Prosecutor Kwon Sang-dae Submits Resignation After Delivering Presidential Appeal Against 'Geomsoowanbak'

Kwon Sang-dae, Director of Policy Planning Division, Supreme Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Legal Times Law Professionals Directory

[Asia Economy Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter] Kwon Sang-dae, Director of Policy Planning at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (age 45, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 32), who collected appeals from prosecution members last April asking to stop the Democratic Party of Korea's forced passage of the 'complete prosecution reform' legislation and delivered them to then-President Moon Jae-in, has tendered his resignation.

According to the legal community on the 24th, Director Kwon recently submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Justice. It is reported that he expressed his intention to leave the prosecution for personal reasons.

Born in Miryang, Gyeongnam, Director Kwon passed the 42nd Judicial Examination in 2000, served as a public interest legal officer, and began his career as a prosecutor at the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office in 2006.

Since then, he has served as ▲ Prosecutor at Sokcho Branch of Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office (2008) ▲ Dispatched to the Criminal Legislation Division of the Ministry of Justice (2012) ▲ Prosecutor at the Criminal Legislation Division of the Ministry of Justice (2013) ▲ Prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (2015) ▲ Prosecutor at the Prosecution Division of the Ministry of Justice (2017) ▲ Chief Prosecutor of the International and Environmental Crime Division (Criminal Division 2) at Jeju District Prosecutors' Office (2018) ▲ Director of Public Security Planning Division at the Ministry of Justice (2019) ▲ Deputy Chief of Public Investigation Division 2 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (2020), and has been serving as Director of Policy Planning at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office since July last year.

While serving as Deputy Chief of Public Investigation Division 2 at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in 2020, he took over and led the investigation into allegations of election interference and special favor investigations related to the Ulsan mayoral election by the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House, and concluded the investigation by additionally indicting former Blue House National Situation Room Chief Lee Jin-seok.

After this year's presidential election, when the Democratic Party of Korea began to actively pursue the 'complete prosecution reform' legislation through member reassignments, Director Kwon was the first to inform the prosecution internal network of this fact and officially expressed the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's opposition.

On April 8, the day after National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok transferred independent lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja, originally from the Democratic Party, to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to pass the amended Prosecutors' Office Act and amended Criminal Procedure Act containing the 'complete prosecution reform' provisions, Director Kwon directly criticized the legislation on the prosecution internal network as "a bill that shakes the foundation of the criminal justice system."

Ten days later, on April 18, he posted on the prosecution internal network a message titled 'Request to draft an appeal letter to the President and the Speaker of the National Assembly' along with an appeal letter he personally wrote. He collected appeal letters written and submitted by 3,376 prosecution members including prosecutors, investigators, and clerks, and delivered them to the Presidential Secretariat through the Government Joint Civil Petition Center on the 3rd of last month.

In the appeal letter he personally wrote, Director Kwon referred to former President Moon's inaugural speech promising "a world without privilege and unfairness, a world where doing the right thing benefits you," and earnestly appealed, "I sincerely hope you will be remembered as a president who stood proudly before that pure promise and determination at the beginning of your inauguration speech."