At the Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee explained the prosecution reform, saying, "The tendency of the state to abuse power and pin crimes on individuals who committed none has drawn public outrage, and that has brought us to a situation like today, where not only are investigative and indictment functions separated but their affiliations have changed as well." He also called it "a historic decision by the people."
"This is the Republic of Korea transitioning to an entirely new system," he said, adding, "Everyone will understand what the phrase 'cover it up to make money, build a case to get ahead' means" — an indirect criticism of the prosecution's past conduct.
Lee said, "They were told to deal with robbers and kidnappers, prolonged detention, the seizure of someone's entire fortune — but if they commit such criminal acts using state power, that is a graver crime than crimes committed by private citizens." He added, "They mistakenly understood that power as something inherited or granted from on high and exercised it accordingly. To make sure that never happens again, properly maintain the order of the state and society, do everything possible to protect the human rights of the people so that no one is wronged, and become investigative and indictment agencies that earn the public's trust."
