ⓒYONHAP News

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl this week effectively accepted Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae's order to stay away from a controversial case involving one of Yoon's key aides.

In a text message sent to legal correspondents Thursday morning, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said the case will be investigated by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which exercises regular jurisdiction over the case.

The chief prosecutor’s side also insinuated criticism of Choo, likening the current situation to a 2012 probe of the National Intelligence Service's opinion rigging scandal, which then-chief investigator Yoon led, but was eventually removed from in 2013.

On Wednesday, the justice minister rejected the chief prosecutor's proposal to create an independent investigative team to handle the collusion case.

As the chief prosecutor attempted to convene his own expert advisory panel to weigh the merits of the case, the justice minister sent a memorandum to Yoon last week, ordering him not to make it his business.