Lee Yongcheol, Justice Minister Nominee: "Complete Prosecution Reform Without Setbacks, Ensure New Criminal Justice System Takes Hold Quickly"

Nominee Lee Yong-cheol's statement after his nomination on Nov. 6
"I feel a profound sense of responsibility at being nominated at a critical time"

Lee Yong-cheol, nominee for Minister of Justice, said on Nov. 6, "If given the opportunity to serve as minister, I will complete the prosecution reform without setbacks and work to ensure the new criminal justice system takes hold quickly."

In a statement issued through the Ministry of Justice that day, Lee said, "I feel a profound sense of responsibility at being nominated to lead the ministry responsible for administering justice at this critical time, when the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) are newly launching and the criminal justice system is undergoing major changes."

Lee Yongcheol, Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, answers lawmakers' questions at a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee on August 31, 2026. Yonhap News.

He added, "I believe the president nominated me because he wants me to draw on my experience as senior secretary for legal affairs at the Blue House under the Participatory Government, where I worked on prosecution reform, including adjusting investigative authority between prosecutors and the police, and on judicial system reform, to complete prosecution reform and help the significantly revised criminal justice system take hold."

He also stressed, "I will do my utmost to protect the human rights of socially vulnerable people, including crime victims."

President Lee nominated Lee, who previously served as Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, as the new Minister of Justice nominee that day. Lee is a former member of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (MINBYUN) and supported former President Roh Moo-hyun by leading the "Lawyers for Roh Moo-hyun" group during the 2002 presidential election. Under the Lee Jae-myung administration, he was appointed Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in November 2025.

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