Prosecutor Kang Baek-shin of the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office submitted his resignation on the morning of the 10th. According to the legal community, Prosecutor Kang officially announced his intention to resign that day.

Prosecutor Kang handled major cases including the investigation into state affairs interference during the Park Geun-hye administration and allegations of corruption involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family, establishing himself as a prominent 'special investigations ace' within the prosecution.

Directed Daejang-dong Investigation... Indicted Lee Jae-myung, Party Leader (Current President)

In 2022, while serving as the head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 3 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Prosecutor Kang led the so-called 'Daejang-dong Second Investigation Team' along with then-Division 1 Head Eom Hee-joon to investigate allegations of development corruption in the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town projects. The investigation team arrested and indicted former Democratic Research Institute Vice President Kim Yong and former Democratic Party Chief of Staff for Political Affairs Jung Jin-sang, among others. After summoning then-Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung for questioning, they referred him to trial on charges including breach of trust related to the Daejang-dong development project. Prosecutor Kang directed the investigation into the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town development corruption cases and indicted President Lee Jae-myung, who was then the sitting leader of the Democratic Party.

In November of last year, when the prosecution decided not to appeal the first-instance verdict in the Daejang-dong case, Prosecutor Kang posted on the internal network emphasizing the need to appeal certain acquittal rulings, expressing opposition to the decision to forgo an appeal. During the so-called 'Daejang-dong waiver of appeal incident,' he claimed that the Supreme Prosecutors' Office had reported to the Ministry of Justice on whether to appeal, and that the Minister and Vice Minister of Justice had opposed the appeal.

Investigated Election Interference Public Opinion Manipulation Case... Opposed Prosecution Reform

In 2023, Prosecutor Kang moved to the position of head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 and took on the role of team leader for the special investigation into the 'election interference public opinion manipulation case,' conducting investigations into media outlets including Newstapa and journalists.

Prosecutor Kang also publicly expressed his opposition on multiple occasions to prosecution reform centered on abolishing the prosecution's investigative authority. In September of last year, when a government organization act amendment containing the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office passed the National Assembly, he posted on the internal prosecution network 'e-Prose': 'September 26, 2025, will be not the day the Prosecutors' Office is abolished, but the day the Constitution is abolished.'

Continued Friction with Democratic Party... Impeachment Motion Pending

Due to this track record, Prosecutor Kang has been in continuous conflict with the Democratic Party. In 2024, the Democratic Party initiated an impeachment motion against Prosecutor Kang on grounds including infringement of press freedom and abuse of investigative authority during the investigation into the election interference public opinion manipulation case, but the motion remains pending in the National Assembly.

This year, when investigations he had handled were included as subjects of a parliamentary investigation into 'allegations of fabricated indictments by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's political prosecution,' Prosecutor Kang pushed back. Appearing at the parliamentary investigation in April, he argued that the National Assembly summoning prosecutors handling cases currently in trial, such as the Daejang-dong case, to question them about the circumstances of their investigations and indictments was 'for the purpose of interfering with investigations or trials,' claiming it was unconstitutional and illegal.

Meanwhile, Disciplinary Review for Prosecutor Park Sang-yong Scheduled

The Ministry of Justice's Inspection Committee plans to review the disciplinary charges against Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, deputy division chief at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, who investigated the 'SsangYol Group remittance to North Korea allegations,' on the 13th at 2:00 PM. The review will cover allegations of coercive investigation tactics during the North Korea remittance investigation, posting on Facebook during working hours, and attending a People Power Party confirmation hearing without submitting a written report.