Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae has again called on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to back off from his plan to oversee an investigation involving a ranking prosecutor close to the chief prosecutor himself.

The justice minister made the call in a statement Tuesday, pressing Yoon to follow her previous instructions and abort the planned formation of an expert advisory panel to weigh the merits of the case.

In late March, MBC accused a Channel A reporter of using his ties with a ranking prosecutor close to Yoon to pressure an inmate for a list of politicians his company allegedly lobbied. 

Last Thursday, Choo sent a memorandum to Yoon, ordering the top prosecutor not to make the case his business, sparking backlash among senior prosecutors amid the heightened tensions over prosecutorial reform.

With senior prosecutors arguing that her intervention in the prosecutorial leadership is illegal, Choo cited Article Eight of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Act, claiming that she has jurisdiction and political responsibility over the prosecutor chief.