"New Wine in New Wineskins": Minister of Justice Hints at Resignation Again; Cheong Wa Dae Denies

[Anchor]

Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho, who has directly and indirectly expressed his intention to resign amid the push to abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigation powers, stated in the National Assembly yesterday that "new wine should be put into new wineskins."

Cheong Wa Dae drew a line, stating that Minister Jung's expression of resignation has not been officially confirmed.

Reporter Ha Jeongyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

Yesterday, the Democratic Party announced plans to process the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, which contains the complete abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation powers, in the National Assembly on the 30th.

[Han Byung-do / Democratic Party Acting Leader and Floor Leader: This week, we will wrap up the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, the final puzzle piece of prosecution reform.]

Both the ruling and opposition parties attended the Legislation and Judiciary Committee yesterday for the first time ahead of the plenary session.

Lawmakers focused their questions on remarks made by Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho, who has previously expressed concern over the side effects of complete abolition, noting, "While I haven't spoken directly to the President, I have conveyed my intention to resign through aides for a long time."

Minister Jung also mentioned his health issues while giving this response:

[Jung Sung-ho / Minister of Justice: Shouldn't new wine now be put into new wineskins? In fact, I had been thinking about this even before the Prime Minister announced the abolition of supplementary investigation powers.]

He drew a line against an opposition lawmaker's question asking whether the issue of supplementary investigation powers 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 supplementary investigation powers is for the national convention. The former Prime Minister already announced the government's basic stance as the abolition of supplementary investigation powers.]

For once, the ruling and opposition parties spoke with one voice in demanding that he withdraw his intention to resign, though their reasons were entirely different.

[Park Ji-won / Democratic Party Lawmaker: Close aides need the attitude of succeeding the President even if it means dying in the process. Therefore, please launch both (the Prosecution Service and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency) before you leave.]

[Yoon Sang-hyun / People Power Party Lawmaker: I think he expressed a sense of helplessness. Passing the buck to the National Assembly seems irresponsible. If the (Criminal Procedure Act) is rushed through, it will eventually lead to a lame-duck period.]

Regarding Minister of Justice Jung's reported intention to resign, Cheong Wa Dae stated yesterday that it has "not been officially confirmed" and 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 tour, emphasized during a senior secretaries meeting held via video conference, "Please make thorough preparations for the opening of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency," and added, "It is important that the principle of putting the public good before personal interests is well-maintained in the public service sector."

Some interpreted this as an indirect message urging Minister Jung to continue playing his role regarding prosecution reform.

(Photo: Yonhap News) (Video Reporting: Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee, Design: Lee Jong-jung)