Democratic Party Targets Prime Minister Nominee Han Deok-su Over '1.8 Billion Won from Kim & Chang'

Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo is making his first commute on the 4th to the hearing preparation office set up in the Korea Productivity Center building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea is zeroing in on Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo's "1.8 billion KRW from Kim & Chang." Ahead of the confirmation hearing, the Democratic Party, which has promised a "thorough scrutiny," plans to focus on Han's activities after leaving public office.

On the 5th, Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, held a party strategy meeting and said to Han, "The public is puzzled about the 1.8 billion KRW received from Kim & Chang," adding, "We cannot help but examine whether the monthly 35 million KRW aligns with the standards of law and principle, fairness and common sense, morality and conscience."

He referred to the SBS report from the previous day stating that Han served as an advisor at Kim & Chang from December 2017 until recently for 4 years and 4 months, receiving over 1.8 billion KRW in compensation, signaling a "microscopic verification."

The Democratic Party announced that it would start operating a task force (TF) to prepare for the confirmation hearing. The TF is led by Representative Min Hyung-bae and includes Representatives Ko Min-jung, Kim Su-heung, Choi Ki-sang, and other experts. Regarding this, Floor Leader Park said, "The TF will set standards that meet the public’s expectations, including the seven personnel screening criteria of the Moon Jae-in administration, and report to the public," adding, "Proper verification is exactly what the public expects from the opposition party. We will make the verification rules more thorough."

When Han entered the confirmation hearing preparation office in Jeokseon-dong, Seoul, he avoided directly answering questions related to the Kim & Chang allegations, saying, "Do I have to answer that too?" However, he added, "I am waiting for the National Assembly confirmation hearing deliberation, and I will prepare materials clearly and based on facts, and explain everything without hiding anything." He continued, "If at this stage, one thing is singled out and questioned like 'What is this? What about that?' the entire process will not proceed," and asked for understanding.

The Justice Party also held a party meeting on the same day and decided to form a TF team within the National Assembly for the confirmation hearings of ministerial nominees, including Han.

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