[Summary] Moon Appoints 'Multiple Homeowners' and 'Wolseong Nuclear Plant Defense' Deputy Minister of Justice... Support Drops to Lowest Since Inauguration

Cheong, Appoints New Deputy Minister of Justice Ahead of Yoon's Disciplinary Action
New Deputy Minister Lee Yong-gu 'Two-Home Owner', Controversy Over Wolseong Nuclear Plant Defense Inevitable
Opposition Mockingly Says "How Urgent Could It Be..."
Moon's Approval Rating Falls to 30% Range... First Time Since Inauguration

President Moon Jae-in is taking off his mask during a video Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the morning of the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] President Moon Jae-in swiftly appointed Lee Yong-gu (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 23, age 56), a pro-government figure and former Legal Affairs Director at the Ministry of Justice, as the successor to former Deputy Minister of Justice Ko Ki-young, who resigned on the 2nd. This move is being interpreted as President Moon signaling his intention to proceed with the disciplinary procedures against Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl as planned. Analysts view this as President Moon, who had remained silent amid the so-called 'Chu-Yoon conflict,' effectively backing Minister Chu.

The newly appointed Deputy Minister will participate as a member of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecutor Disciplinary Committee scheduled to discuss Prosecutor General Yoon's disciplinary action on the 4th. However, the Blue House stated that, to ensure 'procedural neutrality,' the Deputy Minister will not serve as the acting chairperson of the disciplinary committee.

Nonetheless, controversy remains as the courts and the Ministry of Justice Inspection Committee have already concluded that the disciplinary procedures against Prosecutor General Yoon are inappropriate, and concerns about the Deputy Minister's 'political bias' have not been resolved.

Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok announced on the 2nd that President Moon had nominated former Legal Affairs Director Lee Yong-gu as the new Deputy Minister of Justice. This appointment came just two days after former Deputy Minister Ko resigned in protest against the convening of the disciplinary committee for Prosecutor General Yoon on the 30th of last month. Lee's term as Deputy Minister begins today (the 3rd).

Deputy Minister Lee is a member of the progressive legal group 'Uri Law Research Association' and was appointed as the first non-prosecutor Legal Affairs Director at the Ministry of Justice in August 2017, serving for two years and eight months. He was active in Moon Jae-in's presidential campaign team during the last election and was considered a close aide to Minister Chu, having served as the head of the confirmation hearing preparation team for Minister Chu in December last year.

The reason President Moon hurriedly appointed a successor is interpreted as a clear indication of his strong will to push forward with the review of disciplinary procedures against Prosecutor General Yoon. Deputy Minister Lee will participate as a member of the disciplinary committee discussing Yoon's disciplinary action the very next day, on the 4th.

However, to preempt neutrality controversies, the Blue House reportedly instructed that the chairperson of the disciplinary committee be a civilian member rather than the Deputy Minister. Although the chairpersonship of the disciplinary committee is generally held by Minister Chu, since she cannot participate as the disciplinary requester, it was speculated that the new Deputy Minister would act in that role.

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae (left) and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl (right). / Photo by Yonhap News

Despite these measures, issues regarding the procedural validity and neutrality of the disciplinary committee remain unresolved. With the courts and the Ministry of Justice Inspection Committee having already ruled that the grounds for disciplining Prosecutor General Yoon are unlawful, pushing ahead with the disciplinary procedures is being criticized as a clear attempt to undermine investigations targeting the current administration.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that Deputy Minister Lee served as the defense attorney for former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-kyu, who was accused of manipulating the economic feasibility of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, until just before his appointment.

Given that Prosecutor General Yoon, just one day after his return, approved arrest warrants for three Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy officials who deleted 444 documents related to Wolseong Unit 1, appointing the defense attorney of a key suspect in the investigation as the Deputy Minister who will influence the disciplinary action against the Prosecutor General raises concerns about conflicts of interest.

Deputy Minister Lee's status as a multi-homeowner has also been pointed out as problematic. According to his public official asset declaration in March last year, he owns an apartment in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and his spouse owns an apartment in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, confirming his status as a multi-homeowner.

It has been confirmed that Deputy Minister Lee put the Dogok-dong apartment on the market on the 2nd following his appointment. However, since the current administration has emphasized excluding multi-homeowners from high-ranking public office appointments, it appears difficult to avoid criticism for violating personnel principles. Some suggest that the appointment was rushed without thorough verification to expedite the disciplinary action against Prosecutor General Yoon.

Criticism has also intensified within and outside the political sphere. On the 2nd, Park Dae-chul, a member of the People Power Party, wrote on his Facebook, "Filling the vacancy on Yoon Seok-youl's disciplinary committee at lightning speed," adding, "Was it more urgent to appoint a code personnel who would understand and act on the intentions without even checking if he was a two-homeowner? President Moon broke his silence and joined the conflict (Chu-Yoon conflict) by exercising his personnel authority."

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon sarcastically commented on the 3rd, "It seems it was so urgent that he couldn't even handle two apartments in Gangnam or address the conflict of interest issue."

Public opinion also appears unfavorable regarding the government's handling of the 'Chu-Yoon conflict.' According to a Realmeter survey commissioned by 'TBS' conducted from the 30th of last month to the 2nd, targeting 1,508 people nationwide aged 18 and over, President Moon's approval rating for state affairs (positive evaluation) dropped by 6.4 percentage points from the previous week to 37.4%.

This is the first time President Moon's approval rating has fallen below 40% since the current administration took office. Party support rates showed the People Power Party at 31.2% and the Democratic Party at 28.9%, reversing the trend for the first time in nearly four months since the second week of August.

Realmeter attributed the decline in support to divisions within the progressive camp, with even progressive groups criticizing Minister Chu's suspension of Prosecutor General Yoon as excessive. They also analyzed that public fatigue over the ongoing 'Chu-Yoon conflict' contributed to the drop in approval ratings.

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