Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl on Thursday expressed his intent to resign, saying he can no longer watch the collapse of justice and common sense that society has so arduously built over time. 

Yoon made the announcement to reporters in front of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seoul.

Yoon said the spirit of the constitution and the system of legal governance on which the nation was built are being torn apart, adding that the people will have to pay the costs for such destruction. 

Yoon’s announcement comes after the top prosecutor's harsh criticism in the past two days regarding a bill drawn up by the ruling camp that aims to establish an agency that would handle investigations into six serious crimes.

Yoon continuously opposed the bill, saying completely stripping the prosecution of its investigative rights would lead to a regression of democracy and the destruction of constitutional spirit.

Yoon assumed the top prosecutor post in July 2019 for a two-year term. Upon the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration, Yoon led probes into the previous Park Geun-hye administration as head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.