Jung Jin-woo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, offered to resign in protest against the decision not to appeal a ruling in a high-profile development scandal case. The move, just four months after taking office, aligns with the justice ministry's opinion that the case did not warrant an appeal. The scandal is linked to President Lee Jae-myung's tenure as mayor of Seongnam.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office announced on November 8, 2025, that its head, Jung Jin-woo, had offered to resign. This came a day after prosecutors decided not to appeal a ruling in the high-profile development corruption scandal case.
Last Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced five figures to prison terms in connection with the scandal, which stemmed from a 2015 real estate development project in Seongnam's Daejang-dong district during Lee Jae-myung's tenure as mayor. The convicted included Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu, as well as two lawyers and an accountant. The case centers on allegations that little-known private firms like Hwacheon Daeyu reaped astronomical profits from the project.
President Lee separately faced trial for allegedly inflicting losses on Seongnam Development Corp., but the court indefinitely postponed it after his June presidential election victory.
Prosecutor Kang Baek-shin, involved in the case, wrote in an internal bulletin that he had been waiting to file the appeal but was informed by senior leadership just hours before the seven-day deadline expired on Friday that the decision was not to proceed. Under the Criminal Procedure Act, forgoing an appeal means sentences cannot be increased due to the "prohibition of unfavorable changes." All five defendants have filed appeals.
The no-appeal decision reportedly followed the justice ministry's opinion that the case did not warrant one, and Jung's resignation offer is seen as a protest against it.