Justice Minister Jeong Seongho: "Never Ordered Cancellation of President Lee's Indictment... Absurd Conspiracy Theory"

“Serious Debate on Prosecutorial Reform Caught Up in Wasteful Controversy”

Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho dismissed the so-called “speculation about a deal to cancel the indictment of President Lee Jaemyung,” which was raised on broadcaster Kim Eo-jun’s YouTube channel on the 11th, stating, “I have never spoken to prosecutors about canceling any indictment related to a specific case. This is an absurd conspiracy theory.”

Sung-ho Jeong, Minister of Justice, is reviewing documents during a government-wide inquiry in the education, social, and cultural sectors held at the National Assembly on February 11, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

On the same day, Minister Jeong posted on his social media, saying, “Due to the recently raised absurd conspiracy theory, the important debate on prosecutorial reform—one that should be taken seriously—has been caught up in wasteful controversy.”

He continued, “I would like to state clearly, in hopes of refocusing the discussion on constructive reform, that I have never delivered any message or text, in connection with supplementary investigative authority or otherwise.”

Minister Jeong stated, “Since taking office, I have consistently told prosecutors that they must reflect on why the prosecution has lost public trust and strive for change, and that they should not be swayed by the reform process but instead do their best in the duties they are originally responsible for.” He added, “My goal is to ensure that the prosecution is committed solely to protecting the rights of the people, and there are no deals with any group or force.”

He further emphasized, “The prosecutorial reform of a government based on popular sovereignty is guided only by the standards of ‘public safety from crime’ and ‘stability in people’s livelihoods.’ Prosecutorial reform will proceed without wavering, and the Ministry of Justice will faithfully carry out its assigned duties.”

Previously, a former journalist appeared on Mr. Kim’s YouTube broadcast the previous day and claimed, “A high-ranking government official, who can only be seen as one of President Lee’s closest aides, recently sent messages to multiple senior prosecutors saying, ‘Please cancel the indictment in President Lee’s case.’ The prosecution would likely perceive this as ‘the Lee Jaemyung administration wants to make a deal with us.’”

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