Justice Minister Chung Sung-ho recently offered to resign to President Lee Jae-myung, but President Lee is known to have persuaded him to stay.

Minister Chung reportedly expressed his intention to resign to those around him multiple times after the ruling party showed its determination to push forward with the complete abolition of supplementary investigation powers.

Minister Chung has previously voiced concerns over the side effects that would arise if supplementary investigation powers were entirely abolished.

Last month, Minister Chung stated, "If prosecutors do not touch primary investigations at all, I want to ask how victim protection will be handled and if there is an alternative." Following this, during his attendance at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 15th, he maintained a cautious stance on the complete abolition, emphasizing the need for measures to protect crime victims.

The Democratic Party held a policy general meeting today and endorsed the Criminal Procedure Act, which includes the abolition of supplementary investigation powers such as a complete ban on direct investigations by prosecutors, as its official party platform.

It is expected to hold a plenary session as early as next week to process the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act.

(Photo: Yonhap News)