Park Seongjae, Minister of Justice Nominee, "Law Enforcement Must Also Appear Fair in Handling"

Prosecutors Point Out 'Asset Increase and Gift Tax Nonpayment' After Retirement... Opposition Parties Launch Intense Attack at Hearing
Nominee Park: "Not Special Treatment for Former Officials... Never Thought It Was Tax Evasion, Handled Without Controversy"

Park Seong-jae, the nominee for Minister of Justice, stated, "It is important that law enforcement is perceived as being handled fairly."

Park Seong-jae, nominee for Minister of Justice, is taking an oath at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 15th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

At the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 15th, Park said, "While it is important that law enforcement is carried out fairly according to 'law and principles,' I also believe that it is equally important that it appears to be handled fairly," adding, "I will ensure that it meets the expectations of the public."

He continued, "Since the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act following the so-called adjustment of investigative authority, the biggest problem in the investigation and trial fields is the delay in all criminal justice procedures," and added, "Above all, I will carefully analyze the causes of delays in investigations and trials of livelihood cases that directly cause inconvenience to many citizens and prepare countermeasures."

Park also stated that he would respond strongly to violent acts related to politics ahead of the general election in April. He emphasized, "The 22nd National Assembly election is coming soon, and to ensure that the election, which is the foundation of liberal democracy, is conducted fairly and cleanly, I will strictly respond to fraud and unfair practices," adding, "The recent consecutive violent acts against politicians are a serious threat to liberal democracy, so I will deal with them under a zero-tolerance policy."

Park also declared that he would strictly respond to unfair practices and economic crimes such as financial and securities crimes. He said he would cooperate with related agencies to respond to drug crimes, voice phishing crimes, and violent crimes with unusual motives.

During the hearing, Park faced criticism for earning 4.6 billion won over five years as a lawyer after retiring from the prosecution in 2017 as the head of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, and for not paying gift tax when registering an apartment jointly with his wife, who had no income at the time of purchase in 2018.

Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, sharply questioned, "Your assets were 600 million won when you were a prosecutor, but after two years as a lawyer, you earned 2.8 billion won. Anyone would say this is preferential treatment for former prosecutors."

In response, Park drew a clear line, saying, "Preferential treatment for former prosecutors means unfairly taking cases and handling them improperly by exploiting the status of being a former prosecutor. I have never unfairly taken or handled cases."

He added, "I never thought it was tax evasion when registering under my wife's name," but also said, "It was my fault for not examining it thoroughly, and I will take measures to avoid any controversy."

Furthermore, during the hearing, a dispute arose as Park did not submit the stock holdings and case details from his time as a lawyer requested by the hearing committee members. Park stated, "I have no stocks to show," and "I cannot disclose case details due to client privacy and other issues."

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