Professor Imo called 'Imo'?…Democratic Party's 'Handonghun Nitpicking' Escalates

Democrats Criticizing 'Insufficient Data Submission' Didn't Properly Review Data
Mistook 'Professor Lee Mo' for 'Lee Mo'... Confused 'Korea 3M' with 'Han Dong-hoon's Daughter'
Son Hye-won Criticizes, "The Foolish Democratic Party Is Being Fooled Again Today"

On the 9th, citizens are watching the live broadcast of the National Assembly confirmation hearing for Han Dong-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Justice, in the waiting room of Seoul Station. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The Democratic Party of Korea repeatedly made mistakes by questioning incorrect facts during the parliamentary confirmation hearing of Han Dong-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Justice. Since the hearing began, the Democratic Party criticized the 'insufficient submission of materials' and spent the entire morning focusing on Han's attitude. However, they were criticized for concentrating solely on nitpicking without properly reviewing the materials that were actually available.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk raised suspicions that Han's daughter co-authored a paper with her 'imo' (maternal aunt). While reciting the paper's title, Kim said, "(Han's daughter) co-authored a paper with her imo on January 26, 2022. She was the first author." Han responded, "This is the first time I have heard that my daughter co-authored something with her imo," denying such a fact. However, Kim insisted, "Please look up the paper once," refusing to back down.

The paper Kim referred to was actually co-authored by a nephew on Han's wife's side and the corresponding author 'Professor Imo,' who is the nephew's maternal aunt. Kim mistakenly identified the nephew as Han's daughter and the professor as the 'imo' (maternal aunt) on the mother's side, leading to an incorrect inquiry. After his statement, Kim admitted his mistake, acknowledging that the suspicion was unfounded.

On the 9th, at the National Assembly confirmation hearing, Han Dong-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Justice (left), is listening to questions from Choi Kang-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (right). Photo captured from Yonhap News TV YouTube.

Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook made a similar mistake. Choi alleged that Han's daughter used her mother's connections to receive a laptop donation from a company to build her college application credentials. He said, "Han's side explained that the donation receipt was issued under the company's name and that there was no donation under the candidate's daughter's name. However, upon checking, the orphanage that received the items lists the donor as Han A-mu-gae," displaying related documents on the screen.

The document was a 2020 record of donated goods received by an orphanage in Chungbuk, listing the donor as 'Han**' and the donor type as 'for-profit corporation.' Choi claimed that 'Han**' was the name of Han's daughter and pointed out that this contradicted Han's initial explanation. However, Choi had mistaken 'Han**,' the name of the laptop sponsoring company 'Korea 3M,' for Han's daughter's name. Han rebutted, "The 'Han**' seems to refer to Korea 3M. It is marked as a for-profit corporation. My daughter's name cannot be a for-profit corporation."

Before the formal questioning began, the Democratic Party engaged in a confrontation with the People Power Party, accusing Han of submitting insufficient materials. Although the hearing started around 10 a.m., the standoff between the ruling and opposition parties continued throughout the morning. Except for his opening remarks, Han was unable to utter a single word for nearly two hours. Even after the formal questioning began, no valid criticisms or issues necessary for personnel verification were raised.

Regarding this, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon sarcastically wrote on Facebook, "Today’s hearing confirmed the pathetic level of Democratic Party lawmakers," and former Open Democratic Party lawmaker Son Hye-won criticized, "The foolish Democratic Party is getting beaten by Han Dong-hoon again today."

Meanwhile, Han bowed his head and said regarding the suspicions about his daughter's credentials, "I understand that my daughter was fortunate and received benefits. It is not an opportunity anyone can have. I emphasize to my daughter that she must live a life of lifelong service." However, he stressed, "There is no cheating or illegality involved."

The hearing ended at 3:30 a.m. on the 10th, after 17 hours and 30 minutes. The People Power Party immediately requested the adoption of the confirmation hearing report after the hearing ended, but the Democratic Party did not accept it. The Democratic Party stated that they would discuss whether to adopt the report once additional materials related to Han's suspicions are submitted to the National Assembly.

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