Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho, who has submitted his resignation, said Tuesday he has "more to do" in the National Assembly — signaling his intention to return to the legislature to help fix problems that emerged during the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act and work on party consolidation. Cheong Wa Dae asked him to remain in his post until a successor is named, meaning Jeong is expected to stay on as minister for now and continue overseeing follow-up legislation on prosecution reform.
Speaking to reporters outside the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon on his way home Tuesday, Jeong said his role had diminished now that the revised Criminal Procedure Act had passed. "The revised Criminal Procedure Act has been passed, and the launch of the prosecution office is essentially just a rebranding — unlike setting up the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency — so my role is not that large," he said.
He added that he had signaled his intention to resign long ago and was hoping the matter would be resolved quickly. "The ministry will be able to carry on its day-to-day work centered on the vice minister," he said.
Asked whether the recent Democratic Party of Korea national convention had influenced his decision to submit the resignation, Jeong said he had delayed filing it out of concern that issues such as the Criminal Procedure Act revision and prosecution reform — which came up during the convention — could become politicized depending on his status. "I held off and then submitted it," he said.
Jeong submitted his resignation to Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Personnel Management on Tuesday afternoon. The resignation letter is understood to cite health reasons as well as the completion of key legislation related to prosecution reform.
Cheong Wa Dae acknowledged Jeong's resignation but stopped short of an immediate dismissal, asking him to continue in his duties until a successor is appointed.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told a briefing Tuesday that Jeong had requested to be relieved of his duties for health reasons. "Minister Jeong has faithfully carried out his responsibilities in line with the public's demands," Kang said.
"We asked him to continue fulfilling his role until follow-up personnel measures are taken," she added.
Jeong is therefore expected to remain in his post until a Cabinet reshuffle — including the appointment of a new justice minister — is completed, while continuing to oversee follow-up prosecution reform legislation such as supplementary amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act and other ministry priorities. There is also a growing possibility that he will return to the National Assembly afterward to work on addressing issues raised during the revision process.
Jeong had publicly signaled his intention to step down on multiple occasions.
At a plenary session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on July 27, he said in reference to his future: "Since prosecution reform is mostly complete, my personal view is that it is time to pour new wine into new wineskins."
Cheong Wa Dae drew a line at the time, saying the remarks did not constitute a formal resignation. At a closed-door Cabinet meeting on Aug. 4, President Lee was said to have told Jeong to "do well and hold on," which was widely interpreted as an effort to dissuade him from resigning.
With Jeong now formally submitting his resignation and publicly stating he has "more to do" in the National Assembly, however, the question of his departure is expected to be resolved in tandem with the timing of his successor's appointment.
sjy@heraldcorp.com
