Handonghun's "People's Concern Over Complete Prosecution Reform" Remark Met with Democratic Party's "Are You Challenging Us?" Outburst

Minju: "Are you saying you want to have a political fight over the so-called 'Complete Prosecution Reform'"
People Power: "It’s not Complete Prosecution Reform, so why did you rush it?" Handonghun Hearing Dispute

Han Dong-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Justice, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 9th, adjusting his glasses. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] On the 9th, the confirmation hearing for Han Dong-hoon, nominee for Minister of Justice, was held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Tense confrontations between the ruling and opposition parties continued even before the formal questioning began. In particular, the Democratic Party strongly criticized Han for mentioning the 'Geomsu Wanbak (complete removal of prosecution’s investigative authority)' bill during his opening remarks, saying, "Are you saying you want to fight?"

Han stated that day, "The so-called Geomsu Wanbak bill is about to be enacted after passing the National Assembly, causing great public concern. This bill makes it difficult to punish corrupt politicians and public officials, and the damage that the public will witness in the process is very clear. Although I am lacking in many ways, if given the opportunity to serve as Minister of Justice, I will work with courage and dedication."

After Han’s opening remarks, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min said, "The fact that the nominee deliberately used the term 'Geomsu Wanbak' in his greeting means he wants to fight, right? I have attended many confirmation hearings, but this is the first time a nominee has said something like 'let’s have a showdown' in their opening remarks."

Kim continued, "While this may rally your supporters, you cannot represent the public interest. Geomsu Wanbak is not factual; it was adjusted so that even supplementary investigations are not removed, and it was a matter agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties. Deliberately invoking Geomsu Wanbak is a political fight, disregarding the National Assembly and intending to fight, isn’t it?"

He then demanded, "If you do not retract your statement and apologize, there is no need for this confirmation hearing. You should not come out saying you want to have a showdown. You must correct your attitude and mindset. First, apologize and retract that statement."

Kim Young-bae, also from the same party, criticized, "If the Geomsu Wanbak remark was intentional, it was to provoke the hearing," adding, "How can a nominee for Minister of Justice make such unprofessional remarks in a place where the public is watching? I hope you take this seriously, thinking that the public is watching your attitude today."

In response, the People Power Party rebutted that the use of the term Geomsu Wanbak was not incorrect. Lawmaker Yoon Han-hong said, "From the perspective of the Ministry of Justice and prosecutors, it is no different from being subjected to Geomsu Wanbak. The Democratic Party, with an overwhelming majority, rammed the bill through as they wished. Do we have power just because we are the ruling party? No, we do not," and questioned, "If it’s not Geomsu Wanbak, then why did the Democratic Party ram it through?"

As Democratic Party lawmakers continued to demand an apology, Yoon countered, "There is no reason to apologize, so why should we? Most of the public opposes Geomsu Wanbak. There is nothing for nominee Han to apologize for."

As the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties continued, Park Kwang-on, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, declared a recess. However, even after the hearing resumed, the disputes between the parties persisted, and Han was unable to speak for nearly two hours except for his opening remarks.

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