Minister Jung Sung-ho, who expressed an intention to resign, said on the 18th that he expects President Lee Jae-myung to promptly accept his resignation. The presidential office asked him to serve until a successor as Minister of Justice is named, but Jung said, for now, the Ministry of Justice should be run with the Vice Minister at the center.
The Minister met with reporters as he left work at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon and, regarding the formal submission of his resignation letter, said, "I conveyed my intention to resign quite a while ago. I also told the president several times."
He added, "The amended Criminal Procedure Act has passed, and what remains is the launch of the Public Prosecution Office. Unlike the Serious Crime Investigation Office, the Public Prosecution Office can simply change the signboard on the existing prosecution organization and adjust duties," noting, "There is not much of a role left for me."
The Minister said, "Rather, I judged there would be more to do in the National Assembly, such as helping unify the party or fixing some minor issues that surfaced during the Criminal Procedure Act amendment process, and submitted the resignation letter on that basis," adding, "I also told all the president's aides."
Kang Yu-jung, the senior presidential spokesperson, said at a briefing regarding the Minister's expression of intent to resign, "We asked that he fully carry out his duties until follow-up personnel measures are completed."
In response, the Minister said, "I expressed my intention to resign long ago, and since I have now done so officially, I expect the resignation to be accepted quickly," adding, "If a minister signals an intention to resign and remains in the post, the organization becomes unstable." He continued, "If the presidential office takes that view into account and approves the resignation, the Ministry of Justice can proceed with routine business under the Vice Minister's lead."
After stepping down as Minister of Justice, the Minister will return to the National Assembly. The Democratic Party of Korea elected a new leadership at its national convention the previous day. The Minister said, "During the national convention, there were arguments that the Criminal Procedure Act should be amended further or that more prosecution reform is needed," adding, "There was concern that the issue of the minister's post could become a point of contention. With the convention over, I submitted what I had held back, and there is no particular significance to the timing."
The Minister attended the Ulchi Cabinet meeting presided over by the president that day. The Minister said, "I did not say anything separately today regarding my intention to resign," adding, "I told all the president's aides last week, so it should have been reported."