Democratic Party Targets Han Deok-su Nominee for 'High Salary and Preferential Treatment'... "Thorough Verification"

Yoon Ho-jung "'Rental King' Prime Minister Candidate Must Be Vetted, It's Devastating"
Park Hong-geun "Suspicions Abound Even Before Full Vetting Begins"
Democratic Party Hearing TF Leader Min Hyung-bae "High Possibility of Withdrawal"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The Democratic Party of Korea plans to intensively probe into the controversy over high consulting fees, wealth accumulation, and allegations of preferential treatment for former officials during the confirmation hearing of Prime Minister nominee Han Deok-su. The Democratic Party's Confirmation Hearing Task Force is also examining his job competency, public ethics, and public scrutiny from multiple angles, stating, "If he does not meet the public's standards, we will definitely bring him down," signaling a high-intensity verification process.

Yoon Ho-jung, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the 8th, Yoon Ho-jung, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman, said at the morning meeting, "It is reported that after leaving public office, nominee Han received over 1.8 billion KRW in high consulting fees from Kim & Chang law firm and more than 80 million KRW in salary while concurrently serving as an outside director at S-Oil. His wealth accumulated after leaving public office exceeds 4 billion KRW," pointing out the preferential treatment for former officials.

He particularly noted, "It has also been confirmed that nominee Han earned 600 million KRW in profits from a U.S. major corporation, raising concerns about conflicts of interest during his time at the Ministry of Industry. There are suspicions of irregular bidding and preferential treatment involving AT&T, which rented Han's house, and the possibility of collusion cannot be ruled out," adding, "Both the Democratic Party, which must verify the 'rental king' prime minister nominee, and the public are dismayed." He continued, "Since the Democratic Party's Confirmation Hearing Special Committee has announced the three major personnel standards of job competency, public ethics, and public scrutiny, we will strongly respond to any problematic nominee."

Min Hyung-bae, head of the Democratic Party's Confirmation Hearing Task Force, stated on YTN Radio that morning that "the possibility of Han being brought down seems high." Regarding the 600 million KRW rental income from leasing his house to U.S. telecommunications giant AT&T from 1989 to 1999, he pointed out that it occurred while Han held a senior position in the trade sector, noting that "it is intertwined with conflicts of interest," and also criticized the 1.8 billion KRW consulting fees received from Kim & Chang, saying, "It will be difficult to pass the public's standards."

The Democratic Party's Confirmation Hearing Task Force plans to finalize and announce the list of hearing committee members who will conduct the confirmation hearing that day.

Park Hong-geun, the floor leader, said at the meeting, "There are numerous suspicions surrounding nominee Han even before the full-scale verification begins," and added, "As this is the first step of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, we will fulfill the opposition party's role with thorough verification." He emphasized, "We will announce the list within this week, prioritizing verification capabilities and expertise in policy areas, and begin preparations and full-scale verification for the prime minister confirmation hearing."

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