Chung Sung-ho Again Says 'New Wine in New Wineskins'... Cheong Wa Dae Denies Resignation Intention

[Anchor]

Appearing at the National Assembly today, Minister of Justice Chung Sung-ho remarked that "new wine should be put into new wineskins," publicly hinting at his intention to step down. However, Cheong Wa Dae stated that reports of his resignation are not true, drawing a line against the Minister's departure.

Here is more from reporter Ha Jeongyeon.

[Reporter]

The Democratic Party announced today that it will process the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which includes the complete abolition of the prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, at the National Assembly on the 30th.


[Han Byung-do, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party: We will wrap up the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act this week, which is the final puzzle piece of prosecution reform.]

Both ruling and opposition lawmakers attended the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the gateway before the plenary session, together for the first time today.

Lawmakers focused their questions on remarks made the day before by Minister of Justice Chung Sung-ho, who has previously expressed concerns over the side effects of a complete abolition. Minister Chung had stated, "I haven't spoken directly to the President about it, but I conveyed my intention to resign through aides a long time ago."

Minister Chung also brought up his health issues while giving the following response:

[Chung Sung-ho, Minister of Justice: Don't you think it is time to put new wine into new wineskins? In fact, I have 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 supplementary investigation authority issue was being pushed forward without rational discussion due to the ruling party's national convention.

[Chung Sung-ho, Minister of Justice: I do not think 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 unison to demand the withdrawal of his stated intention to resign, though their reasons were completely different.

[Park Jie-won, Democratic Party Lawmaker: Close aides need the attitude of succeeding in making the President successful even if it means dying. 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 might 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 presidency.]

Cheong Wa Dae stated today regarding Minister Chung's intention to resign that "nothing has been officially confirmed" and that "it is not true."

This is interpreted to mean that official procedures, such as submitting a letter of resignation, have not been undertaken.

President Lee Jae-myung, currently on an overseas trip, emphasized during a senior secretaries meeting held via video link, "Please ensure thorough preparations for the opening of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency," adding that "it is important that the principle of putting the public good before oneself is well-maintained in the public service sector."

Some interpretations suggest this was an indirect expression of intent for Minister Chung to continue playing his role regarding prosecution reform.


(Photo: Yonhap News | Video by Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Lee Seung-hee, Design by Lee Jong-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.