Noh Man-seok: "It Was Difficult to Accept the Other Side’s Demands; I Felt Greatly Conflicted"

That evening, around 9:30 p.m., Noh spoke with reporters at his home for about 25 minutes, sharing his thoughts on his resignation.

Noh remarked, "In the past, the administration and the prosecution were aligned, but now, to be honest, their directions differ. Everything prosecuted by the previous administration has become an issue for the current government, so it is difficult for the prosecution to accept the demands made by the other side."

He added, "Honestly, it was not easy to go over to their side either. That’s why I feel relieved yet bittersweet."

Noh also emphasized, "What I did was not disgraceful; in my own way, I acted to protect our prosecution. At this point, I felt that stubbornly insisting I did nothing wrong would not benefit the organization, so I decided to step down."

On the 7th, Noh ordered the prosecution team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to forgo an appeal in the Daejang-dong development scandal, despite their request to proceed, just before the appeal deadline. This led to a collective protest within the prosecution, with calls for his resignation from both junior and senior prosecutors.

At around 5:40 p.m. that day, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced, "Today, Acting Prosecutor General Noh has tendered his resignation. His detailed position will be shared at the retirement ceremony." The date of the ceremony has not yet been determined.