President Lee Jae-myung said regarding the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), which will launch in October along with the abolition of the Prosecution Service, "It is important that the distinction between public and private interests in the civil service and the principle of putting the public first are well observed." The Public Prosecution Office and the SCIA are measures under the Lee administration's principle of "separating investigation and indictment," with the Prosecution Service being abolished for the first time in 78 years and the SCIA serving as an independent investigative body.
While on a tour of San Francisco and three South American countries, Lee on the night of the 26th local time presided over a senior secretaries' meeting in Brazil and said this after receiving a closed-door briefing from Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Han Chan-sik on preparations for the SCIA's opening. Kang Yu-jung, the presidential chief spokesperson, said Lee also asked, "Please make thorough preparations for the SCIA's opening."
Lee also directed the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, saying, "Because it is the office's job to check whether the self-regulatory oversight functions within each ministry are working properly, please carry out that role faithfully."
◇ Jung Sung-ho, who expressed intent to resign: "New wine in new wineskins"
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, who had clashed with hard-liners in the ruling camp over abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, reiterated his intention to step down the same day (9 a.m. on the 27th Korea time), saying, "New wine should be put in new wineskins."
Appearing at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary meeting that day, Minister Jung answered this way to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won asking, "Do you plan to directly express your intention to resign when President Lee Jae-myung returns home?" He went on, "When the Public Prosecution Office and the SCIA launch on Oct. 2, 95% of prosecutorial reform will be achieved," adding, "Because most prosecutorial reform has been completed in broad strokes, isn't it time to put new wine in new wineskins? I have thought about this since before the announcement to abolish the supplementary investigation authority."
Recently, prompted by the "Jang Yoon-gi case," voices emerged within the ruling bloc arguing that exceptional supplementary investigation authority should be allowed. However, despite opposition in public opinion, the Democratic Party has finalized "complete abolition" as its party line and plans to handle the related Criminal Procedure Act amendment in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. As Minister Jung has expressed concerns about potential harm to the public and abuses of police authority stemming from the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority, some interpret his expressed intention to resign as taking political responsibility.
However, Minister Jung said, "On a personal note, my health is very poor. For several months I have had quite severe sleep disorders," adding, "With that in mind, I have had many discussions with people around the president about expressing my intention to resign."