Political circles stirred by Han Dong-hoon's nomination... Democratic Party calls it "national personnel terror," Justice Party warns of "full-scale war with Democratic Party"

Park Jumin "Does the President Appoint Ministers Based on Close Relationships?"
Justice Party "A Betrayal of Citizens' Trust"

Minister of Justice nominee Han Dong-hoon is answering questions from the press at the 2nd Cabinet announcement held at the transition team's briefing room in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Transition Team Press Photographers.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] As President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol nominated Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, as Minister of Justice candidate, criticism from the political circles is growing.

On the 13th, Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, held a public meeting of the personnel hearing secretariat at the National Assembly and sharply criticized Han's nomination, saying, "This is not just a personnel disaster but a personnel terror against the people. He said he would create a country of fairness and common sense whenever he opened his mouth, but he took care of unfairness instead of fairness," demanding the withdrawal of the nomination.

He added, "It is a fierce intention to privatize prosecutorial power by putting a close aide forward, openly declared," and said, "He said he would give up presidential power and abolished the Blue House's civil affairs secretary, but in the end, he intends to let Han serve as both Minister of Justice and civil affairs secretary."

Park, the floor leader, pointed out, "No matter how much the cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the president-elect, there are lines to be observed and common sense of the people," and asked, "Which citizen would accept and agree with this?"

He also said, "There are many problems with the first cabinet appointments besides Han, not just one or two," and urged, "Once again, the criteria for personnel verification, the system, and who is responsible must be revealed."

Assemblyman Kang Byung-won also criticized at the meeting, saying, "He said he would unify and cooperate, but how would the people accept appointments that intend to stir political retaliation and a whirlwind of investigations?" and "Isn't it that Han accepted the president-elect's intention to open an era of prosecutorial privatization dictatorship and joined forces?"

During the meeting, Kang also told reporters regarding Han's stance to "block the complete abolition of prosecution's investigative authority," calling it "the worst appointment," and said, "The people will worry that the political circles will again be caught up in a wasteful fight and that South Korea will be dragged into it." He emphasized that Han's appointment might "reinforce our decision (on prosecutorial reform) and make us more determined to accomplish it."

On the same day, Assemblyman Park Ju-min wrote on Facebook, "I doubted my eyes when I saw the breaking news," and pointed out, "It was only a week ago that there was a problem raised that Han Dong-hoon's phone should not be cleared without forensic analysis. Has the phone forensic analysis been done? Has the suspicion of collusion between prosecution and media been resolved?" He added, "Is the presidential office for President-elect Yoon a place to appoint close friends as ministers? The next five years look really bleak."

The Justice Party also strongly opposed Han's nomination. Jang Tae-su, spokesperson for the Justice Party, released a statement saying, "South Korea is not a prosecution office," and "Today's nomination of the Minister of Justice candidate looks like the president-elect is appointing the Prosecutor General." He continued, "I wonder if he chose a warrior to fight against the Democratic Party's separation of prosecutorial investigative authority," and criticized, "If so, it betrays the trust of citizens who expected a Minister of Justice to uphold the rule of law supporting people's livelihood, protect human rights, and realize justice."

Spokesperson Jang said, "The nomination of the Minister of Justice candidate seems to show the Prosecutor General preparing for an all-out war with the Democratic Party rather than the president's responsibility, which is very regrettable as a presidential appointment," and emphasized, "We will thoroughly verify the nominated candidates to ensure that the first button of the president's duties is not fastened incorrectly."

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