Fear of ruling party prosecutor nomination rumors? Thoughts of Yeongnam-Honam ruling party politicians...

Lee Jeong-hyun "If many prosecutors are nominated, public resistance is feared"
Kim Jae-won "Nominating incumbent prosecutors is almost impossible"

Although Kim Gi-hyeon, the leader of the People Power Party, denied it, the so-called 'prosecutor nomination theory'?which suggests that many former prosecutors close to President Yoon Seok-yeol will be nominated in the 22nd general election on April 10 next year?continues to circulate both inside and outside the ruling party. Some incumbent ruling party lawmakers are treating the prosecutor nomination theory as a kind of fear.

This is because the lawmakers from constituencies where the ruling party is likely to win believe there is a high possibility that their seats will be replaced by former prosecutors. Regarding the prosecutor nomination theory, senior figures from Yeongnam and Honam regions with long political experience within the People Power Party have subtly differing views.

Lee Jung-hyun, a former lawmaker and former leader of the Saenuri Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party), said there is no need to view the prosecutor nominations negatively. On the 28th of last month, Lee said on KBS Radio, "Although no one has officially spoken yet, there could be many (prosecutor nominations)."

Lee, whose constituency was Suncheon in Jeollanam-do, referred to current lawmakers and mayors from Yeosu and Suncheon, explaining that "the majority are lawyers and former prosecutors." He added, "In other words, whether they are prosecutors or not is not the important thing; what matters is nominating sustainable politicians."

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

However, Lee cautioned, "If the next nominations are almost entirely filled with prosecutors or if there are too many prosecutors, it will naturally face public resistance," and urged, "To win elections, the People Power Party leadership must exercise restraint in such matters."

Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member with a political base in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, drew a line regarding the nomination of incumbent prosecutors. Kim said on YTN Radio, "The possibility of actually recruiting (incumbent) prosecutors to send them into politics is slim," and added, "Theories about deploying 30 or 50 prosecutors are not feasible."

However, he noted, "Those prosecutors working in the Presidential Office are already active as politicians." This means that while prosecutors currently serving as aides in the Presidential Office may run in elections such as the general election, they are not considered incumbent prosecutors.

The contentious prosecutor nomination theory targets individuals with prosecutorial backgrounds rather than prosecutors being directly recruited from active duty, which means Kim’s explanation differs from public perception.

Regarding the background of the ongoing prosecutor nomination theory, Kim analyzed, "Incumbent lawmakers feel their positions are already unstable, and there is a recurring rumor that the new candidates will be prosecutors appointed by President Yoon Seok-yeol."

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