(MENAFN) South Korea's Prosecutor General, Shim Woo-jung, has announced his resignation, approximately nine months after taking office in September of the previous year, according to multiple media outlets on Tuesday.

Shim submitted his resignation on Monday, and his retirement ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday. The move comes amid significant shifts in the country’s legal and prosecutorial landscape, as the government pursues sweeping reforms.

This resignation follows a broader shift in the country’s power dynamics, as President Lee Jae-myung, who took office as South Korea’s 21st president on June 4, pushes to decentralize the powers of the prosecution. One of Lee’s key policy goals is to strip prosecutors of their rights to investigate criminal cases, a responsibility that would be transferred to the police under his proposed reforms.

Currently, South Korea's prosecutors are legally authorized to investigate certain serious crimes, but Lee’s administration seeks to overhaul this by reallocating investigatory powers to law enforcement in an effort to ensure greater transparency and fairness in the justice system.

The resignation and the legal reforms come at a time of increased scrutiny on the prosecution's role in the country, reflecting ongoing debates about balancing power within South Korea's legal framework.

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