Yoon Accepts Han Dong-hoon Minister of Justice's Resignation... Interim Deputy Minister Acting System for the Time Being

Presidential Office "Yoon Just Approved Dismissal Proposal"

President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted the resignation of Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, who had accepted the position of emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, on the 21st.

Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, said at a briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon, "President Yoon accepted Minister Han's resignation and just approved the dismissal proposal."

The People Power Party officially endorsed Minister Han as the emergency committee chairman on the same day. Yoon Jae-ok, acting party leader and floor leader of the People Power Party, also met with Minister Han and confirmed the process of accepting the emergency committee chairman position.

Acting leader Yoon said, "He must meet the expectations of the people who long for change, reform, and the future, and be able to promote political culture reforms such as parliamentary reform beyond party innovation," adding, "If Minister Han takes on the role of emergency committee chairman, it is clear that he will change the People Power Party and Korean politics as the youngest and most innovative emergency committee chairman."

On April 13 last year, when President Yoon Suk-yeol was the president-elect, he announced the appointment of Han Dong-hoon, then Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, as the nominee for Minister of Justice at the briefing room of the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The Ministry of Justice will hold Minister Han's farewell ceremony at 5 p.m. at the Government Gwacheon Complex on the same day.

President Yoon is expected not to immediately appoint a new Minister of Justice but to maintain the acting minister system with Vice Minister Ino-gong for the time being. Various candidates, including former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chiefs Gil Tae-gi and Park Seong-jae, are being considered, but no decision has been made yet.

Vice Minister Lee is regarded as a figure with a high understanding of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's legal administration, so it is expected that he will be able to fill the gap left by Minister Han. It is also reported that Vice Minister Lee has undergone screening as a candidate for the next Minister of Justice.

Therefore, the new Minister of Justice candidate is expected to be nominated as early as the end of the year or as late as early next year.

In response to a reporter's question asking, "There is criticism that Minister Han is leaving without a successor being nominated. When will the nomination take place, and how far has the candidate screening progressed?" a Presidential Office official replied, "I believe President Yoon will handle it flawlessly by following procedures carefully to ensure there is no vacancy in the Ministry of Justice."

Regarding the background of accepting the resignation, the official said, "I think the acceptance of Minister Han's resignation is a matter to be discussed between the ruling party and Minister Han."

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