Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice recently offered to resign to President Lee Jae-myung, but the president dissuaded him, according to reports.
According to the legal community and others on the 24th, the Minister is said to have recently conveyed directly to the president the intention to resign. When the Minister relayed an intention to contest discussions on the Criminal Procedure Act amendment in the National Assembly, the president was said to have asked the Minister to remain in the post until the launch of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office in Oct.
As the Democratic Party of Korea pushed to amend the Criminal Procedure Act to fully abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, the Minister has expressed opposition several times.
At the full session of The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 15th, the Minister also argued that if prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority is abolished, the "transfer of all cases" system—under which the prosecution receives all police cases—should be revived to prevent side effects.
However, as the Democratic Party set as its party line a Criminal Procedure Act amendment centered on abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, the Minister appears to have offered to resign to speak out directly in the National Assembly. A five-term lawmaker, the Minister was appointed the first Minister of Justice in the Lee Jae-myung administration in Jul. last year and is still serving as a member of the National Assembly.
The Minister introduced that the previous day the Ministry of Justice staff and he held a first-anniversary "talk concert" for his inauguration, and also said, "I always work with the determination to do my best with the mindset that today could be the last."
The Minister added, "In a turbulent time on the eve of major changes to the criminal justice system, I will do my utmost until the end as Minister so that Ministry of Justice employees, who devote themselves on the front lines to public safety and justice even without the spotlight, can work with pride and a sense of duty."
The Democratic Party of Korea that day approved as its party line a Criminal Procedure Act amendment centered on fully abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority. The party plans to put the full-abolition bill to a vote at a plenary session as early as the 30th.