Han Dong-hoon tells resigning justice minister to quit National Assembly seat too

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon on Monday criticized Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho, who signaled his intention to resign, saying Jeong was "making excuses about health while running away" ahead of a ban on supplementary investigations and the withdrawal of charges against Lee Jae Myung.

In a Facebook post Monday, Han noted that Jeong currently holds a seat in the National Assembly. "If your health is too poor to serve as justice minister, it must also be too poor to serve as a lawmaker — so resign your Assembly seat as well," Han wrote. "That would at least make your excuse somewhat consistent."

Jeong made the remarks at a plenary session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won asked whether he planned to submit his resignation in person when the president returned to the country. "Shouldn't new wine go into new wineskins?" Jeong replied — a response widely interpreted as a roundabout expression of his intent to step down.

Jeong said he believed that once the Public Prosecution Service and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency launch on Oct. 2, "95 percent of prosecution reform will have been achieved." He added that he had been considering a leadership transition "since before the announcement abolishing supplementary investigative powers," given that the broad framework of prosecution reform was largely complete.

He also cited personal health concerns. "My health is in very poor condition. I have been suffering from quite serious sleep disorders for several months," Jeong said. He added that the matter was personal and difficult to discuss publicly, but that he had been consulting with people close to the president about it.

Cheong Wa Dae, however, said it had "no official confirmation" of Jeong's resignation.