PPP Calls for Resignation of Justice Minister and Deputy

Members of the People Power Party in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee called for the resignation of Justice M...

Members of the People Power Party in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee called for the resignation of Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho and Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo on the 13th, noting that "the matter cannot be settled simply by the resignation of Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok" concerning the prosecution's choice to drop its appeal in the Daejang-dong case. Acting Prosecutor General Noh had announced his intention to step down the day before, assuming responsibility for the incident.

On the same day, lawmakers from the People Power Party including Na Kyung-won, Kwak Gyu-taek, Song Seok-joon, Jo Bae-sook, and Park Joon-tae submitted an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act. The proposed legislation seeks to stop the unjust termination of ongoing prosecutions. Representative Kwak, who spearheaded the initiative, provided the reasoning: "There have been continuous efforts to dismiss the prosecution against President Lee Jae-myung." He further stated, "The existing 'prosecution dismissal system' was intended as a special measure applicable only when there are clear evidentiary mistakes or major procedural issues. However, in practice, it has faced criticism for being misused for non-legal reasons such as the interests of those in power or political motives, resulting in ongoing demands for its removal."

Na Kyung-won said, “The prosecution's decision not to appeal is a clear effort to ‘wipe out President Lee Jae-myung’s offenses.’” She highlighted, “Our goal is to strongly prevent such actions through legal changes.” Song Seok-joon mentioned, “Prior to becoming president, Lee Jae-myung was involved in five trials across 12 cases,” and stated, “This legislation represents the opposition’s last-ditch but sincere fight against a scenario where ‘the powerful remain unpunished while the weak are convicted.’”

The lawmakers from the PPP also demanded the resignations of Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho and Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo. Park Joon-tae commented, "Minister Jung said, 'Judge carefully,' which is equivalent to encouraging harm," and called for his resignation.

Na Kyung-won responded to the resignation of Acting Prosecutor General Noh, stating, "His departure was a predictable move," and emphasized, "The main concern is the alleged involvement of the presidential office and Minister Jung's instructions." She maintained, "This matter cannot be resolved by Noh's resignation alone. Minister Jung and Vice Minister Lee should also resign, and President Lee Jae-myung needs to respond to the accusations."

Meanwhile, lawmaker Joo Jin-woo shared on Facebook, "Cho Sang-ho, a senior aide to the minister, appeared to be higher up than Minister Jung." This comment was based on video footage from the day before showing Minister Jung communicating via Telegram with Cho Sang-ho, a policy advisor, during a National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee session. Cho had previously worked as the defense attorney for President Lee in the Daejang-dong case.

Joo stated, “Cho Sang-ho sent Minister Jung a directive that said, ‘The decision to abandon the appeal was intended to set a precedent of avoiding appeals, as damage disputes could continue during the appellate process.’ Minister Jung simply repeated the given information like a parrot.”

Joo also brought up Lee Tae-hyung, a senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and former defense lawyer for President Lee, saying, “Cho, the minister's advisor, and Lee, the civil affairs secretary, are closely connected as defense attorneys in the Daejang-dong case.” He asked, “Is it possible that Cho didn't inform the presidential office?” and called for, “The presidential office should reveal to the public when, through what channels, and in what manner any reports were made.”