[Anchor]
Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho has publicly expressed his intention to step down, stating that "new wine should be put into new bottles." However, Cheong Wa Dae has drawn a line regarding his resignation, stating that reports of his intent to resign are not true.
Reporter Ha Jeongyeon has the details.
[Reporter]
The Democratic Party announced yesterday (July 27) that it will process the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which includes the complete abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation authority, at the National Assembly on the 30th.
[Han Byung-do / Democratic Party Acting Leader and Floor Leader: This week, we will complete the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, the final piece of the prosecution reform puzzle.]
Both ruling and opposition parties attended the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the gateway before the plenary session, together for the first time yesterday.
Lawmakers focused their questions on Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho's previous remarks that "although I haven't spoken directly to the President, I have conveyed my intention to resign through aides for a long time," amid concerns over the side effects of a complete abolition.
Minister Jung also mentioned his health issues while providing this response:
[Jung Sung-ho / Minister of Justice: Shouldn't new wine be put into new bottles now? In fact, I had been thinking about this even before the Prime Minister announced the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority.]
He drew a line against an opposition lawmaker's question asking whether the issue of abolishing the supplementary investigation authority was pushed forward without rational discussion due to the ruling party's national convention.
[Jung Sung-ho / Minister of Justice: I do not think that the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority is for the national convention. The former Prime Minister already announced the government's basic position as the abolition of the supplementary investigation authority.]
The ruling and opposition parties united in calling for him to withdraw his intention to resign, though their reasons were completely different.
[Park Jie-won / Democratic Party Lawmaker: Close aides need the attitude of succeeding with the President even if it means dying in the process. Therefore, please launch both the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency before you leave.]
[Yoon Sang-hyun / People Power Party Lawmaker: I think this may be an expression of helplessness. Passing the buck to the National Assembly seems irresponsible. If the Criminal Procedure Act is rushed through, it will ultimately lead to a lame duck phase...]
Cheong Wa Dae stated yesterday regarding Minister Jung's expression of resignation that it has "not been officially confirmed" and is "not true."
This is interpreted to mean that official procedures, such as submitting a resignation letter, have not been taken.
President Lee Jae-myung, who is currently on an overseas tour, emphasized during a senior secretaries meeting held via video link, "Please make thorough preparations for the opening of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency," and added, "It is important that the principle of putting the public good before personal interests is well observed in public official society."
Some interpreted this as an indirect message urging Minister Jung to continue playing his role regarding prosecution reform.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Oh Young-chun and Kim Yong-woo | Video by Lee Seung-hee | Graphics by Lee Jong-jung
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