Democratic Party Welcomes Kim Yong-min of the 'Prosecution Reform Committee' and Kim Nam-guk of the 'Cho Kuk White Paper'... Direct Confrontation with the Cho Kuk Incident

Lawyer Kim Yong-min (right) and Lawyer Kim Nam-guk are holding a press conference for joining the Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly on the 7th. Lawyer Kim Yong-min served as a member of the 2nd Legal and Prosecutorial Reform Committee during former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's tenure, and Lawyer Kim Nam-guk participated as a writer in the 'Cho Kuk White Paper Promotion Committee.' Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] On the 7th, lawyer Kim Yong-min, who served as a member of the Ministry of Justice and Prosecution Reform Committee during Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's tenure, and lawyer Kim Nam-guk, author of the 'Cho Kuk White Paper,' joined the Democratic Party of Korea. This move is analyzed as the ruling party's determination to confront head-on the 'Cho Kuk incident,' which is expected to become a major issue in the upcoming general election. However, as the confrontation between the ruling party and the prosecution continues to escalate, it is likely to fuel controversy both inside and outside the political sphere.

Lawyers Kim Yong-min and Kim Nam-guk held a press conference at the National Assembly that morning to announce their intention to join the Democratic Party.

Lawyer Kim Yong-min served as a member of the Past Affairs Investigation Committee under the Ministry of Justice, established in December 2017 after the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in administration, and was the lead investigator in the case involving former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui. Notably, he also helped prepare recommendations for justice and prosecution reform as part of the second Ministry of Justice and Prosecution Reform Committee launched in September last year.

On the day, he said, "During my 15 years as a lawyer, I have met many people and heard many stories. There were many cases where people could not receive relief through legal means. I believe these issues should be resolved in the political arena, not the courts."

Lawyer Kim Nam-guk was born in Gwangju and graduated from Chung-Ang University before completing doctoral coursework in administrative law at Seoul National University Graduate School. He currently operates the Lawyer Kim Nam-guk Law Office. He served as a member of the Seoul Bar Association's Task Force on the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and investigative authority adjustment, which was launched last year. He also participated as an author in the 'Cho Kuk White Paper Promotion Committee,' established to document the prosecution and media's conduct from Minister Cho's appointment to resignation.

Kim Nam-guk said, "Compared to those recruited into the party, I am a very ordinary young person, so I am determined to work harder than others. I want to engage in politics that the people can feel, not only focusing on prosecution reform but also on livelihood issues."

Given their entry into the party ahead of the general election, their candidacies are highly anticipated. In particular, lawyer Kim Yong-min is considering running for Namyangju Byeong.

However, controversy is brewing over the Ministry of Justice's non-disclosure policy regarding the prosecution's indictment in the recent Blue House Ulsan mayoral election interference case, and with the confrontation between the ruling party and the prosecution reaching a peak, political attacks against them are expected to intensify. Depending on the level of controversy, there is even analysis that the backgrounds of these two legal professionals involved in former Minister Cho's case and prosecution reform could hinder the Democratic Party's general election strategy.

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is attending the opening ceremony of the Ministry of Justice Spokesperson Office 'Uijeonggwan' held at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 6th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Currently, fierce political battles are ongoing over whether to disclose the indictment in the Blue House's ordered investigation and election interference case. Minister Choo said regarding the decision not to submit the indictment to the National Assembly the day before, "After several deliberations, we reached the opinion that such wrongful practices should no longer be repeated." He stated that the practice of submitting materials to the National Assembly and immediately having the full indictment disclosed to the media was a 'wrongful practice.'

Minister Choo also cited the Ministry of Justice's criminal case non-disclosure regulation, established on December 1 of last year, as grounds for non-disclosure. He said, "It is impossible for the Ministry of Justice to create (the regulation) and then not abide by it."

This stance by Minister Choo has drawn criticism not only from the conservative opposition but also from progressive parties such as the Justice Party. Justice Party spokesperson Kang Min-jin said in a statement the day before, "This decision is difficult to avoid criticism as an unreasonable attempt to conceal without justification. We regret the Ministry of Justice's decision," adding, "The full indictment has been disclosed for over 15 years since the Roh Moo-hyun administration."

In particular, Kang added, "If the contents of the indictment reported by some media are true, it is judged that the Blue House abused its authority to interfere in the election," and "This matter must be investigated without exception and clarified clearly." Following the participation of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy on the 5th, even the Justice Party, which leans toward the ruling coalition, has turned its back.

This political confrontation, which is an extension of the 'Cho Kuk incident,' is likely to continue into the upcoming general election phase. The entry of these two lawyers into the party can also be seen as the Democratic Party's determination to confront this situation head-on. Given that the confrontation between the ruling party, opposition, and prosecution is bound to sharpen further, their political activities after joining the party are attracting attention.

Regarding the non-disclosure of the indictment, lawyer Kim Yong-min said, "It is inappropriate for the indictment to be disclosed before the defendant receives it. However, there is a regulation that allows exceptional disclosure of indictments, but it is a subordinate regulation, not a law, so it needs to be discussed in the National Assembly to elevate it to a law."

Lawyer Kim Nam-guk said, "The people's basic rights to know, the right to a fair trial, and the presumption of innocence of the defendant constitutionally conflict. Both basic rights are important, so it is difficult to say that any matter should be uniformly disclosed or not disclosed, and it should be restricted within a reasonable scope."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.