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preface

Part 1: The Day of Martial Law
Part 2: What Made Me Who I Am That Day
Part 3 The Path I Have Lived

In closing the book

12.3 The only public official to resign during martial law
The Justice Department's Inspector General declares charges of "sedition"

Former Justice Ministry Inspector General Ryu Hyuk's essay, "A Single Resignation," begins with an urgent recollection of the day of martial law on December 3, 2024.
Martial law, the summons to the Ministry of Justice, the meeting chaired by Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, and Ryu Hyuk's resignation tell us the truth of that day.
Ryu Hyuk told the Minister of Justice, “If it is a meeting related to martial law, I will not attend.
“I have no intention of carrying out any instructions or orders related to martial law,” he said, then left the conference room and wrote his resignation letter.
Unable to control his anger, he bursts open the conference room door again and scolds the Minister of Justice.
This inspiring anecdote illustrates how one man's courage in the face of martial law, and a single resignation letter written that night, contributed to the preservation of democracy.
After leaving the Ministry of Justice, he defined martial law as “mental delirium” and former President Yoon Seok-yeol’s actions as “insurrection” (On December 4, several media outlets quoted Inspector General Ryu Hyuk and reported on these remarks.
(These appear to be the first reports to define martial law as a civil war).

Ryu Hyuk, who has lived as a prosecutor, does not say that the reason he resigned was because of his sense of justice.
On the contrary, he even mocks himself, saying, “It seems that there are many citizens who are disappointed in the prosecutorial attitude.”
His decision came from the conscience of an ordinary man who could not have been a bad person.
He is a high-ranking public official with a non-political bent who has lived a life of luxury and has a deep attachment to the prosecutor's office staff and the branch office.
What Ryu Hyuk cherishes most is a peaceful daily life.
He is obsessed with making plastic models, observing stars, and competing in triathlons.
His love for his wife is also extreme.
It was martial law that destroyed these in one fell swoop.
Ryu Hyuk's anger stemmed from this, and it is no different from the reason we demanded the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol.
On the night of martial law, he, who had been living a non-political life, made the most political choice by resigning.
One year after martial law.
The impeachment took place, the government changed, and our daily lives are returning to normal.
However, the scars left behind were distrust in the rule of law, extreme confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, and division in public opinion.
In these times when the abolition of the prosecution service and the lack of trust in the judiciary are hot topics, the story of a person who was in the midst of martial law offers many insights.

A man of principle who has overcome the stigma of being pro-Yoon,
And about Yoon Seok-yeol

Inspector General Ryu Hyuk was once considered pro-Yoon as he opposed Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol during the Moon Jae-in administration.
He still maintains his conviction that “we should have proceeded more cautiously and calmly in both procedural and substantive aspects” regarding this matter.
The keyword that runs through my complex and multifaceted career as an inspector is principle.
He says that his actions at this time are not contradictory to his own actions of denouncing martial law as a rebellion and a mental disorder.
Both actions are the result of following the principles of public service.
He worked as an inspector and tried to leave no room for procedural nitpicking.
In this book, which details the life of a prosecutor, you can encounter his principles and actions.
He treated law as a discipline, but he valued procedure and process more than anyone else in handling cases.


The 'Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol' episode describes his first meeting with former President Yoon Seok-yeol and his actions recorded in legal records.
Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol's arrogance and complacency are clearly revealed, and it seems to foreshadow his downfall, leaving a bitter aftertaste.
The author's argument is not a simple political accusation, but is based on professional observation and legal judgment.
As we follow the perspective of a prosecutor's insider on the downfall of a powerful figure, we see a man of principle who transcended political party logic and followed only the rule of law and conscience.
In this way, Ryu Hyuk, a man of principle, was able to act courageously and according to his principles in the face of a national crisis.
That thorough professional spirit that is faithful to the basics will resonate deeply with all professionals.

An outsider from an engineering school
The most prosecutor-like of the political prosecutors

Former Inspector General Ryu Hyuk became a prosecutor after graduating from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Seoul National University.
In the book, he is particularly excited when he talks about scientists he admires.
He talked about Giordano Bruno, Einstein, and Newton, and wrote that he must have bought about a hundred copies of Cosmos.
He is a true engineering student who got a job as an engineer at Samsung Semiconductor while waiting for the results of his last bar exam.
His scientific thinking and understanding of engineering instilled in him the attitude that what he sees is not everything.
This is where the persistence and thorough rationality in dealing with incidents come from.
In this way, he could avoid compromising with power, handle cases according to principle, and keep his conscience.

The part where he talks about his hobbies is longer and more varied than the science part. He makes plastic models, builds his own telescope, completes a triathlon, and sheds tears. At first glance, he seems far from the mainstream.
The episode about his hobby and outsider nature that he has continued to pursue reminds us of the obvious proposition that 'prosecutors are people too.'
Ryu Hyuk questions the life of a prosecutor who lives isolated from society and says that a prosecutor should be an ordinary person, not a privileged person.
It is said that not many people recognized him as a prosecutor, walking around in a sweatshirt carrying an ice cream cone.
These days, he still wears a cap and functional sportswear.
They are sometimes found as event staff at marathon competitions.


Ordinary people usually work hard to earn a living.
Ryu Hyuk was like that too.
I worked according to professional ethics and conscience.
He devoted himself to the investigation to ensure that no one was wronged, and he conducted his investigations based on principles regardless of rank. He respected his colleagues and enjoyed working with them.
That's how he lived most like a prosecutor.
Even though distrust of the prosecution is widespread these days, Ryu Hyuk believes in it.
Political prosecutors are a minority, and even if the prosecution were to disappear, there would be many honest people who would carry out that role.