The Ministry of Justice appointed Park Cheol-woo, head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office anticorruption department involved in the controversial Daejang-dong appeal drop, as the new chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The reshuffle, aimed at stabilizing the prosecution, has drawn criticism for defying common sense. Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin filed a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office against the justice minister and others.
The Ministry of Justice announced senior prosecutor appointments on Wednesday. Park Cheol-woo, head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's anticorruption department, was named the new chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, replacing former chief Jung Jin-woo who stepped down after the decision to drop the appeal in the Daejang-dong case. Park is known to have ordered a reassessment on the afternoon of Nov. 7, the deadline for filing the appeal, after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office team reported its intention to proceed. The top prosecutors' decision to abandon the appeal effectively closed the door on recovering more than 700 billion won in illicit gains from the Daejang-dong developers and severely damaged the credibility of both the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice. Park has also been reported to the police by a conservative civic group for his role in the episode. The Ministry of Justice said the reshuffle was intended to stabilize the prosecution service. Yet if Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho truly sought stability, Park's appointment is even more difficult to understand. Only days ago, prosecutors at various levels—from front-line investigators to senior district chiefs and officials at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office—openly bristled at the leadership's decision to drop the appeal. The organization was in turmoil. Naming Park, who was directly involved in the disputed decision, raises questions about whether Jung aims not for stability but for political repositioning through a narrative of "insubordination." Jung insists he merely urged caution over the appeal and did not give orders, but it is inconsistent for him to speak of disciplining prosecutors for insubordination under such circumstances. If the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution cannot clarify the matter on their own, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials should step in. On Nov. 19, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin filed a complaint with the CIO against four senior officials: Jung, Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo, former Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok, and former Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office chief Jung Jin-woo. Under the CIO Act, the agency can investigate ministers, vice ministers, and prosecutors if suspicions arise over official duties. Now entering its fifth year, the CIO must not avoid investigations involving those in power if it hopes to gain public trust.