Prosecutors Who Led Yoon Administration Investigations Resign in Succession... Wave of Departures Ahead of Prosecution Reform

Prosecutors Involved in Democratic Party Allegations and Kim Keonhee Cases Resign
Instability Deepens Ahead of Bill to Abolish the Prosecution Service

Prosecutors who investigated allegations related to President Lee Jaemyung and the Democratic Party during the Yoon Sukyeol administration, as well as prosecutors involved in the investigation into First Lady Kim Keonhee, are leaving the prosecution one after another. Analysts attribute this wave of resignations to the aftermath of many prosecutors being reassigned to less prominent positions in the first round of mid-level personnel appointments under the Lee Jaemyung administration.

It is expected that the special prosecution team for the insurrection will emphasize the legitimacy of the detention by mainly involving the special prosecutors and prosecutors who participated in the detention warrant hearing for former President Yoon Sukyeol's detention review. The photo shows the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the insurrection special prosecution office was set up on July 18, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

According to the legal community on the 25th, Kim Jonghyun (33rd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), Director of Public Investigation Planning at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Justice on the 22nd. While serving as Head of the Public Investigation Division at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, he investigated President Lee Jaemyung's alleged payment of attorney fees by a third party. Kim Youngcheol (33rd class), Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, also announced his resignation on the prosecution's internal network on the same day. He led investigations into the Democratic Party's convention cash envelope scandal and the employment solicitation case involving an official from the Moon Jaein administration.

In the mid-level personnel reshuffle carried out on the 21st, Director Kim Jonghyun was transferred to Chief Prosecutor of the Western Branch of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office, while Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Youngcheol was reassigned to the Busan High Prosecutors' Office. Subsequently, Ho Seungjin (37th class), Director of the Digital Investigation Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Lee Ilgyu (34th class), Head of the National Fiscal Crime Joint Investigation Unit at the Northern District Prosecutors' Office, also expressed their intention to resign. The two were involved in the investigation of the Democratic Party's former Vice President Kim Yong's bribery case and the solar power corruption case involving Assemblyman Shin Youngdae, respectively.

Prosecutors who handled allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee are also leaving in succession. Lee Jihyung (33rd class), Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Busan District Prosecutors' Office, who investigated the Myeong Taegyun case, and Kim Seungho (33rd class), Chief of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who cleared First Lady Kim in the luxury bag case, have both resigned. They have been reassigned to the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office and the Busan High Prosecutors' Office, respectively.

In addition, Kim Junghoon (36th class), Director of Crime Information Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Lee Jaeman (36th class), Director of Labor Investigation Support at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office; Park Seunghwan (32nd class), Deputy Chief Prosecutor 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office; and Dan Seonghan (32nd class), Chief Prosecutor of the Goyang Branch, have all expressed their intention to resign in succession.

Some in the legal community predict that, as the Democratic Party has announced plans to process the "Four Prosecution Reform Bills" next month-which include abolishing the prosecution service and establishing new public prosecution and investigation agencies-prosecutors' departures are likely to continue for the time being, due to a combination of dissatisfaction with personnel decisions and uncertainty over institutional reforms.