Park Cheol-woo (left), head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and Joo Min-cheol, chief of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Anti-Corruption Division (Yonhap)
Park Cheol-woo (left), head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and Joo Min-cheol, chief of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Anti-Corruption Division (Yonhap)

The Justice Ministry on Wednesday appointed Park Cheol-woo, head of the Anti-Corruption Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, as the new head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, filling the post left vacant after the previous chief resigned over a politically explosive real-estate corruption case.

The ministry said the reshuffle, effective Nov. 21, includes two new senior appointments and three transfers at the prosecutor-general level.

“The appointments aim to fill the vacancy created by the Seoul Central chief’s resignation and stabilize the prosecution, while also reflecting our intention to bring renewal to the senior ranks,” the Justice Ministry said.

The personnel changes come amid a deepening crisis triggered by the prosecution’s abrupt decision earlier in November not to appeal the Oct. 31 court ruling in the Daejang-dong land-development scandal, one of the country’s most contentious corruption cases.

The scandal centers on a 2015 public–private redevelopment project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where current President Lee Jae Myung served as mayor. It has long been a centerpiece of partisan conflict due to allegations that private developers with political ties reaped disproportionate profits.

The appeal reversal set off a chain reaction within the prosecution service. Seoul Central District Prosecutor Jung Jin-woo offered to resign on Nov. 8, a day after the decision. His dismissal was finalized Wednesday.

Eighteen chief prosecutors issued a rare joint statement demanding an explanation, saying the acting prosecutor general’s justification lacked factual and legal grounds.

Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok later acknowledged he had consulted Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho before finalizing the decision — fueling accusations of political interference — and resigned soon after.

Several other senior prosecutors have since tendered resignations, and local media have reported that the ministry is considering reassigning the 18 protesting chiefs to junior-level posts, a move seen internally as punitive even if not legally considered a demotion.

Park, a Seoul National University graduate and veteran corruption investigator, has held senior posts including spokesperson for the Justice Ministry and deputy chief at the Seoul Central District Office during the Moon Jae-in administration (2017-2022).

After former President Yoon Suk Yeol took office, Park was reassigned to the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office. He reportedly instructed Seoul prosecutors on the evening of Nov. 7 — just hours before the appeal deadline — to “reconsider” withdrawing the appeal in the Daejang-dong case.

The senior anti-corruption post vacated by Park at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office will be filled by Joo Min-cheol, who previously oversaw prosecution policy at the Justice Ministry under the Moon administration. The anti-corruption division directs major special investigations nationwide.


hnpark@heraldcorp.com