Minister Jung Sung-ho of the Ministry of Justice said on the 31st that, regarding the passage of the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act at the National Assembly's plenary session to fully abolish prosecutors' direct investigations, "If side effects emerge on this first-of-its-kind path, contrary to goodwill or expectations, I hope there will be no hesitation in swiftly supplementing and revising it."
The Minister wrote on Facebook the same day, "Now prosecutors cannot investigate. A fundamental change begins," adding the remark.
The Minister said, "The success or failure of reform does not lie in changing the existing order itself, but in how much it makes people's lives more affluent and prosperous," adding, "Lofty ideals like the sky, justifications like a great mountain, and grand slogans are all only secondary. What matters most is whether it provides tangible help to the people and their livelihoods."
He went on, "History across the East and West and across ages proves that reforms that put only ideals and justifications first, without results, end up being shunned by the people, citizens, and the public," adding, "The Ministry of Justice will also work and review so that the new criminal justice system can be evaluated as a successful reform."
The National Assembly passed the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act at the plenary session in the afternoon, with 175 in favor, 2 against, and 1 abstention out of 178 lawmakers present. Led by the Democratic Party of Korea and progressive-leaning opposition parties, the amendment separates investigation and indictment to abolish prosecutors' authority for direct investigations and supplementary investigations. Prosecutors can only request supplementary investigations from judicial police officers.
Acting Prosecutor General Koo Ja-hyun offered to resign after the amendment passed, saying, "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act." Koo, as deputy prosecutor general of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, had been serving as acting prosecutor general.
The Minister had earlier conveyed to President Lee Jae-myung, through Blue House aides, the intention to resign, but is known not to have submitted a resignation letter due to Lee's dissuasion. The Minister reaffirmed the intent to step down at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 27th, saying, "New wine must be put into new wineskins."