The Justice Ministry has expressed regret over the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office(SPO)'s direction for the Seoul High Court to handle a key case involving Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. 

The ministry said in a text to reporters on Tuesday that it regrets the SPO’s Inspection Headquarters will no longer be dealing with a probe on allegations that Yoon abused his power by ordering the illegal surveillance of judges. 

The ministry claimed that the latest order most likely came from Yoon himself. 

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae expressed regret over a major gathering of judges rejecting motions related to a document in which the SPO analyzed courts’ handling of key cases. This document has drawn controversy, with some saying it shows that the prosecution was illegally monitoring judges. 

A group of 125 judges representing courts across the nation had held a virtual meeting Monday to discuss pending judicial issues. They discussed the spying allegation but opted not to make any follow-up motions.