"Impeachable Offense to Eat Sushi and Beef with Taxes"… Han Dong-hoon’s Sharp Remarks Targeting Opposition Party

A Sharp Rebuke Despite Former Leader Song Young-gil's Remarks
Opposition Says "Effectively Announced Candidacy for General Election"

Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, sharply criticized the opposition party. In response to mentions of his impeachment, Minister Han retorted, "Impeachment grounds arise when a high-ranking public official uses a corporate card to buy Japanese shampoo and purchase beef and sushi." This was essentially a direct attack on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the 21st, Minister Han attended the opening ceremony of the Korean Language Proficiency Test (CBT) Daejeon Center, a social integration program evaluation system of the Ministry of Justice, held in Jung-gu, Daejeon.

On that day, the area around the CBT Daejeon Center was bustling with reporters and supporters who gathered to see Minister Han. Supporters continuously chanted his name, cheering him on for his potential run in the general election.

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon (center) is attending the opening ceremony of the Ministry of Justice Social Integration Program CBT Center in Jung-gu, Daejeon, on the morning of the 21st and is participating in the plaque unveiling ceremony.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

At the event, Minister Han said, "(In the Democratic Party) they are not just talking about impeaching prosecutors now, but some are even talking about impeaching the president," adding, "If a high-ranking public official embezzled taxes to buy Japanese shampoo and their family ate sushi and beef, I think that would be grounds for impeachment. The Constitutional Court would likely accept that."

The "Japanese shampoo" mentioned in his remarks appears to refer to the Japanese cosmetic brand 'Cuore (クオレ·CUORE)' shampoo, which Lee was pointed out to have used during his time as governor of Gyeonggi Province at the National Assembly's Fair Trade Commission audit last month.

Additionally, the beef and sushi refer to the situation where Lee's wife, Kim Hye-kyung, is accused of breach of duty for allowing herself to pay for her meals with the Gyeonggi Province corporate card.

Evaded Direct Answer on General Election Candidacy, but Political Message Was 'Active'

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon visited the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon on the afternoon of the 21st and explained the science and technology talent visa system to international students.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Minister Han was bombarded with questions about his potential candidacy in the general election that day. The opposition party has criticized his current actions as laying the groundwork for running in next year's general election.

However, Minister Han repeatedly avoided giving a direct answer to the speculation about his candidacy, saying, "I have nothing to say about that yet." He drew a line by stating, "The most important thing for me is to create a foundation for the people to live well."

Regarding the appointment of his successor as Minister of Justice, which was raised by some, he responded, "I am an appointed official, so it is not appropriate for me to talk about my successor."

Regarding his recent field visits following Daegu on the 17th, continuing to Daejeon and Ulsan, Minister Han explained, "I will have fewer field visits than the previous Minister of Justice. The National Assembly schedule has been tight," clarifying that the visits were not politically motivated.

Minister Han also took a jab at former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil's remarks that day.

Recently, former leader Song appeared on CBS Radio and made comments targeting Minister Han, saying, "Just because someone passed the bar exam (Sasi) doesn't mean they can act arrogantly as a prosecutor," and "The one who turned this proud democratic republic into a backward republic is a backward Minister of Justice," among other remarks.

In response to these remarks, Minister Han said, "I would like to say that some activist politicians like former leader Song, who pretend to be clean on the outside while frequenting NHK (entertainment bars) and receiving bribes from conglomerates, were the ones who conducted strict investigations into conglomerates and social elites."

Finally, regarding the evaluation that his speaking style differs from the 'Yeouido grammar,' Minister Han emphasized, "If there is a unique way of speaking or grammar used only by the 300 people working in Yeouido, that is more of a dialect than Yeouido grammar," adding, "I will use the language spoken by the 50 million general public."

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