Seongnam Files Complaint Against Justice Minister Over Abandoned Appeal

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Seongnam City Files Complaint Against High-Ranking Officials Over Daejang-dong Case

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province has taken a significant step by filing a formal complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. The complaint targets four individuals linked to the prosecution’s decision to abandon its appeal in the first-instance ruling of the 'Daejang-dong case.' These individuals include Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho, Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo, former Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok, and former Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-woo.

The city's mayor, Shin Sang-jin, personally submitted the complaint to the office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, around 9:10 a.m. on the 19th. The charges against the officials include abuse of authority and obstruction of citizens' rights, while former Chief Prosecutor Jeong faces allegations of dereliction of duty.

The Impact on Public Assets

According to the city, the prosecution's decision to abandon the appeal effectively allowed criminals to retain hundreds of billions of won in public assets that should have been recovered for Seongnam citizens. This move, the city argues, systematically obstructed the right of citizens to reclaim these assets.

The first-instance court acquitted the Daejang-dong group of most core charges, recognizing only 47.3 billion won out of the 788.6 billion won in criminal proceeds that were prosecuted for confiscation. This amount is just one-tenth of the 489.5 billion won in damages suffered by the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation and approximately one-fifth of the 207 billion won in pre-secured confiscation reserves.

The city claims that even the scale of confiscation recognized in the first-instance ruling fell significantly short of public interest standards. It further states that the prosecution’s failure to appeal was unlawful.

Allegations of Abuse of Authority

In the complaint, the city asserts that the intervention by the Minister and Vice Minister of Justice exceeded the scope of command and supervision stipulated in the Prosecutors’ Office Act. This, it argues, constitutes an abuse of authority.

The city points to Minister Jung’s de facto communication of the intent to abandon the appeal, combined with Vice Minister Lee’s pressure on former Acting Prosecutor General Noh—including references to the potential exercise of investigative command authority—as clear violations of Article 8 of the Prosecutors’ Office Act.

Additionally, the city states that former Acting Prosecutor General Noh and former Chief Prosecutor Jeong did not reject these actions but instead acquiesced, making them accomplices in the alleged misconduct.

Neglect of Public Duty

Seongnam City emphasizes that former Chief Prosecutor Jeong abandoned his duty to appeal despite prosecutors’ unanimous agreement on the necessity of an appeal and his own prior approval of the appeal document. By yielding to unlawful superior instructions, he neglected his public duty to restore citizens’ property rights, constituting dereliction of duty.

Mayor's Statement

After submitting the complaint, Mayor Shin Sang-jin stated, “This complaint aims to rectify the situation where astronomical development profits, which should have been returned to Seongnam citizens, were effectively granted as a pardon to criminals.” He added, “The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials must thoroughly investigate whether high-ranking officials engaged in improper command and interference, severely punish those involved, and ensure the restoration of Seongnam citizens’ rightful opportunity to reclaim their assets.”

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