President Lee Criticized for Remarks on Criminal Procedure Code... Review of Key Issues Including Full Scholarships for Regional National Universities

President Lee Jae-myung asked Justice Minister Jeong Sung-ho during a report by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 5th, "Does the revised Criminal Procedure Act state that prosecutors must not conduct investigations?" President Lee made the remark asking about the contents of the Criminal Procedure Act, adding, "I haven't read it so I'm not sure." The day before, President Lee had personally promulgated the revised Criminal Procedure Act at a Cabinet meeting, calling it an "inevitable measure that ends in justice."

Editorials from major daily newspapers criticized the President for failing to properly understand a bill directly affecting the lives of the public. The media took issue with the President's attitude of not being familiar with the law's content at a time when the exercise of the veto (reconsideration request) on the legal revision was being discussed. Media outlets pointed out that the admission of not knowing the contents before signing the bill amounted to dereliction of duty.

Justice Minister Jeong Sung-ho interpreted that "all legal basis for investigations has disappeared" regarding the operation of the police-prosecution joint investigation headquarters, while Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung offered a contradicting opinion implying it was possible.

The Ministry of Education is considering establishing a new policy to provide full "regional balance scholarships" to 60,000 incoming students at 30 regional national universities starting next year. If expanded to include all students from years 1 to 4, an additional 400 billion won in annual budget is estimated to be required. Media outlets pointed out that private universities, which are subject to tuition regulations, being excluded from government support constitutes reverse discrimination. This financial burden and the issue of reverse discrimination conflict with the policy's intent of a countermeasure against regional extinction, leading to discussions on equity between universities.