"Prosecutor Republic's Reward Appointments, Typical of Yoon Seok-yeol"…Democratic Party 'Shocked' by Han Dong-hoon Nomination as Minister of Justice

Yeo: "A reward appointment for protecting 'someone' by being uncooperative in investigations for 2 years"

Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon appeared as a witness at the trial related to the assault by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeong Jin-ung of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, held on the 21st of last month at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. /Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Democratic Party lawmakers are strongly opposing President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's sudden nomination of Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (Chief Prosecutor), as the inaugural Minister of Justice candidate, calling it a "reward appointment."

On the 13th, President-elect Yoon explained the background of Han's selection at a press conference at the transition committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul, saying, "He has held key positions in the Ministry of Justice and prosecution for 20 years, gaining expertise in investigation, trials, prosecutorial systems, and legal administration," and added, "I judged him to be the right person to modernize legal administration and establish a judicial system that meets global standards."

Han began his career in 2003 as part of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Central Investigation Department's election fund investigation team, worked on the Hyundai Motor investigation team in 2006, and collaborated with President-elect Yoon on the 2016 special prosecutor team investigating the state affairs manipulation scandal.

From 2017 to 2019, he served as the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and since July 2019, he has assisted President-elect Yoon as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Violent Crime Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

Regarding the evaluation of his appointment as "unconventional," President-elect Yoon emphasized, "He is the optimal candidate to handle legal administration not only through law enforcement but also through planning tasks in prosecution," and stated, "This is by no means a radical appointment."

He also mentioned, "He has fluent English skills and diverse international work experience," adding, "What I requested is the modernization of legal administration that can support economic development and the establishment of a judicial system aligned with global standards."

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced the first cabinet list on the afternoon of the 10th at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Democratic Party lawmakers have collectively expressed strong concerns over Han's appointment. Assemblyman Ahn Min-seok, who declared his candidacy for Gyeonggi Province governor, wrote on Facebook that "the nomination of Han Dong-hoon is a declaration of a prosecutorial republic," and stated, "I oppose Han Dong-hoon's nomination as Minister of Justice."

He continued, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government is declaring war on the opposition party," and emphasized, "They intend to wield the sword from the very beginning of their administration. Do not expect cooperation from the new government. The Democratic Party must fight firmly."

Assemblyman Park Wan-joo also expressed disbelief on Facebook, saying, "I couldn't believe my eyes," and claimed, "Han, the former chief prosecutor who is a key figure in the alleged collusion between prosecutors and media and a close aide to the president-elect, remained silent for two years, uncooperative in investigations, protecting 'someone' along with his phone password, raising strong suspicions that this is a reward appointment."

He added, "This also reveals once again the old-fashioned politics of the prosecution where you must align yourself properly to succeed," and stressed, "The Minister of Justice confirmation hearing must thoroughly verify the candidate's qualifications in line with public common sense."

Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu said, "I cannot come to terms with this absurd appointment. I feel very frustrated and angry about the given situation," tagging his post with "#HanDonghoon_MinisterOfJustice_Nomination #DevastatingAppointment."

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Choi Kang-wook, who has been a leading voice for prosecutorial reform, sarcastically remarked, "This is a brilliant move most typical of Yoon Seok-yeol in response to prosecutorial normalization. Truly fitting for the greatest contributor," and Assemblyman Jung Chung-rae shared related reports on social media, expressing shock, "Appalling. Unbelievable. Does this mean all senior prosecutors above Han should leave?"

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