Outgoing Justice Minister Jeong urges preemptive fixes to revised criminal procedure law

Jeong Seong-ho, the first justice minister under President Lee Jae Myung, stepped down Wednesday, calling on the ministry to address potential problems with the newly revised criminal justice system before they arise.

Speaking at a farewell ceremony at the Government Gwacheon Complex in Gyeonggi Province, Jeong said the country "stands on the verge of unprecedented change" and urged ministry officials to spare no effort in protecting the public as the new criminal justice regime takes effect. "Do your utmost to ensure that no one is left unprotected as the new criminal justice system is implemented," he said.

He said the criminal justice system must evolve in a direction that makes daily life safer for citizens and ensures that no one suffers unjust treatment through fair procedures. "There are many voices of concern ahead of the new system's implementation," he said. "Do your best — as a pillar of the criminal justice system — to make sure no citizen is wronged in the course of this change."

Jeong also said the ministry should prepare remedies in advance for foreseeable problems and move quickly to fix any issues that emerge after implementation. "I will return to the National Assembly and do my part there, devoting all my energy to supporting the Ministry of Justice," he said.

Jeong took office last July and served roughly 13 months as the minister overseeing prosecution reform. He notably clashed with hard-liners aligned with the ruling camp, opposing the complete abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers on the grounds that it could leave crime victims without recourse during revisions to the Code of Criminal Procedure.

After the ceremony, Jeong spoke with reporters and was asked about his plans upon returning to the National Assembly. "The bill passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, but various concerns have been raised," he said. "Whether through the committee or the party leadership, I think we need to proactively address problems rather than wait for them to surface after implementation and then correct them."

He added that his successor should closely monitor the investigative process as the revised Code of Criminal Procedure takes effect, ensuring that citizens feel secure and that crime victims are not treated unjustly, so the ministry can respond preemptively.

Some observers have suggested that pressure over the question of dropping criminal charges against President Lee played a role in Jeong's departure. Jeong flatly denied the connection. "This has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of withdrawing the president's indictment," he told reporters after the ceremony.

"It is not a matter of whether the minister drops the charges or not — if the indictment was obtained through unlawful procedures, that is a question for prosecutors to decide," he said. "The National Assembly is already discussing a special prosecutor and related matters, so I expect prosecutors or a special prosecutor will handle it directly."

"My departure has nothing whatsoever to do with withdrawing the president's indictment — that is completely groundless," he said. He also noted that voices within the prosecution itself are calling for a reckoning with past misconduct as the new Central Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Service are established, and he referenced the Prosecution Future Committee, a body he set up to examine alleged abuses of prosecutorial power.

Jeong launched the Prosecution Future Committee in June, pledging to investigate cases of prosecutorial overreach. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office subsequently formed a fact-finding team at the committee's request. Seven cases were selected for a first round of investigation — including the Ssangbangul North Korea funds transfer case — followed by 12 cases in a second round, among them the Seongnam FC case. Of the 19 cases total, six involve President Lee.

"The cases most likely to raise suspicion are those involving President Lee under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration — there are more of them than any others," Jeong said. "I refrained from making specific comments in order to maintain objectivity, but a parliamentary investigation into President Lee's cases revealed that the investigations were overzealous."