‘Work Report Rejected’ Ministry of Justice "Embarrassed"... Supreme Prosecutors' Office "Focusing on Reports"

Confusion in Legal and Prosecutorial Offices over Refusal to Report to Transition Team... Park Beom-gye "No Comment"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] The Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) has caused an unprecedented crisis by refusing to accept the Ministry of Justice's briefing, plunging both the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office into confusion.

On the 24th, just before the scheduled briefings from the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the PTC abruptly postponed the briefing from the Ministry of Justice. This move openly revealed their displeasure following Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye's opposition to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign pledge to abolish the investigative directive authority.

With the Ministry of Justice's briefing canceled about two hours before it was to take place, both the Ministry and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office were left bewildered. A senior official from the Ministry of Justice, who was scheduled to report to the PTC, reportedly did not even depart for the PTC office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Minister Park, who was effectively rejected from the briefing, refrained from commenting when asked about the briefing schedule on his way to the Government Complex Gwacheon that morning, saying, "I have nothing to say. It seems there are variables." When asked if he had heard that the briefing was canceled, he entered the building without responding.

The Ministry of Justice has been refraining from making any official statements and is reportedly discussing the current situation internally. Within the Ministry, there is confusion about what stance to take in the upcoming PTC briefing. A Ministry official expressed, "We do not know what position the Ministry of Justice should take. This has never happened before, so it is confusing."

Meanwhile, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, faced with the unprecedented situation of having to report independently without the Ministry of Justice, responded that it would focus on the briefing. Since the PTC holds the key decision-making power, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office is not in a position to make any significant statements. A Supreme Prosecutors' Office official said, "All decision-making authority lies with the PTC, so we have no choice but to follow their decisions and faithfully carry out the briefing."

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