President Moon Jae-in asked the National Assembly on Tuesday to send him a confirmation hearing report of the justice minister nominee by a day later, in a move seen as accelerating his prosecution reform drive.

Moon has asked the National Assembly to send the hearing report on his pick for justice minister, Choo Mi-ae, by Wednesday, according to his office.

If the National Assembly fails to adopt a confirmation hearing report by the proposed deadline, the president can appoint Choo to the post as early as Thursday.

The parliament missed an initial deadline for sending such a document to Cheong Wa Dae on Monday when it failed to adopt it following a confirmation hearing for Choo.

The parliament's adoption of a confirmation hearing report is a procedural step to express its consent to the president's nomination of minister-level officials. But such a document is not mandatory for the president to appoint his pick.

The two-day deadline, virtually a daylong deadline considering Jan. 1 is a public holiday here, is seen as a rare move aimed at speeding up the president's push for reforming the prosecution.

On Monday, the National Assembly passed a controversial bill to set up an independent investigative unit regarding corruption by high-ranking public officials, lending support to Moon's reform drive.

Choo, a judge-turned-politician and a five-term ruling lawmaker, has voiced firm determination to carry out the president's reform plan.

In a confirmation hearing held on Monday, Choo stressed the need for the corruption investigative unit and pledged to take swift follow-up measures to back up other prosecution reform bills.

The justice minister post has been empty since Cho Kuk, the former minister embroiled in an academic and financial scandal involving his family, stepped down in mid-October.

Cho, a law professor and former presidential secretary, was initially seen as the key person to spearhead Moon's prosecution reform bid. (Yonhap)