Justice Minister Jeong Seongho Submits Resignation: "Prompt Correction of Criminal Procedure Act Issues in the National Assembly"

Justice Minister Jeong Seongho explained on August 18 that he submitted his resignation "in the belief that there is still more work to be done in promptly correcting issues that arose in the process of revising the Criminal Procedure Act by going to the National Assembly."

Around 6 p.m. that day, Minister Jeong met with reporters as he was leaving the Ministry of Justice at the Gwacheon Government Complex and said, "The amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act has been passed, and only the launch of the Prosecution Office remains. Since all that is left is to change the nameplates on the existing prosecution organization and make some adjustments to job assignments, there is no major role left for me to play," he stated.

Health reasons and the intention that "major legislation related to prosecution reform has been completed" were cited by Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho as he announced his resignation. On August 18, 2026, he responded to reporters' questions while leaving the Ministry of Justice building in Gwacheon. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Minister Jeong further added, "I had already submitted my intention to resign as Minister of Justice quite some time ago. I have spoken with President Lee Jaemyung sufficiently on several occasions about this, and I have also explained it fully to my staff." When asked whether there had been any communication with President Lee during the cabinet meeting earlier that day, he replied, "I did not speak to him separately today. Since I spoke with my staff last week, I assume the President has been briefed."

Meanwhile, Kang Yujeong, Chief Spokesperson for the Office of the President, said during a press briefing at Chunchu-gwan, "Minister Jeong has faithfully carried out his responsibilities in accordance with the demands of the people," and added, "We have asked Minister Jeong to fulfill his duties until a successor is appointed."

Regarding this, Minister Jeong commented, "I expect the resignation to be accepted promptly." He noted, "If a minister declares their intention to step down but continues to remain in the position, it only makes the organization more unstable. Considering this, the Office of the President should approve my resignation so that the Ministry of Justice can be managed effectively around the vice minister and regular work can proceed smoothly."

However, when asked about any connection between the submission of his resignation and the Democratic Party leadership election, Minister Jeong dismissed the question, saying, "The leadership election is already over. I simply submitted what I had postponed, so there is no particular significance."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.