President Yoon Approves Appointment of Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok and Fair Trade Commission Chairman Han Ki-jung (Update)

Yoon: "The People Have Likely Already Judged Qualifications and Competence"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Seok-yeol approved the appointments of Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok and Fair Trade Commission Chairman Han Ki-jung on the 16th.

The Presidential Office spokesperson stated that morning, "President Yoon just approved the appointments of Fair Trade Commission Chairman Han Ki-jung and Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, and plans to present the appointment letters at 10:30 a.m. at the Yongsan Presidential Office."

On his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office that day, when reporters asked if he planned to appoint the Prosecutor General and Fair Trade Commission Chairman before his (UK, US, Canada) tour, President Yoon replied, "There have been criticisms that the government formation has been delayed. I believe the public has already judged their qualifications and capabilities during the hearing process," adding, "I plan to present the appointment letters today."

This marks the 10th time President Yoon has pushed through appointments despite the refusal of the National Assembly to adopt the personnel hearing reports due to opposition from the major opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, even after the hearings were completed.

The Presidential Office and the opposition party have been engaged in a standoff over whether to adopt the hearing reports for Prosecutor General Lee and Chairman Han. On the 14th, the Presidential Office requested the resubmission of the hearing reports for both candidates, stating, "The hearing report should reflect the pros and cons of the candidates as they are. Unless there are clear disqualifying reasons, there is no reason not to adopt it," and criticized, "Refusing to adopt the report even past the legal deadline risks being seen as reckless obstruction."

On the other hand, the Democratic Party has opposed the adoption, labeling Prosecutor General Lee as part of the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction' and Chairman Han as a 'rubber stamp for large corporations.' Oh Young-hwan, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said in a briefing the previous afternoon, "Regarding candidate Lee, our party's hearing committee members expressed concerns that he might grow into a loyal subordinate completing the special investigation line of the Yoon Seok-yeol faction," and added, "Candidate Han was also described as a rubber stamp for large corporations, with many controversies including conflicts of interest, high salary issues, and allegations of disguised residence registration."

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