Justice minister nominee reiterates special counsel role over indictments against Lee

Justice Minister candidate Lee Yong-cheol reiterated on Wednesday that a probe into potentially fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae Myung should prioritize uncovering the truth. He did not explicitly state whether he would advocate for the dismissal of the indictments. This came following the National Assembly's recent approval of the special counsel bill, which the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has criticized as potentially aiming to nullify all indictments against the president.

The nominee, speaking to reporters outside his office, emphasized the importance of focusing on the truth during the ongoing investigation. He maintained his stance that the rest of the process should adhere to the law and principles. Earlier, he had emphasized the role of the special counsel probe on Monday after his nomination on Friday.

When asked about his potential decision to initiate an investigation based on the findings of the special counsel probe, the nominee declined to comment, stating that the special counsel had not yet commenced its fact-finding activities.