The Atmosphere Changes with Han Dong-hoon's Nomination, Han Deok-soo Can No Longer Feel Secure Either

Minister of Justice nominee Han Dong-hoon is responding to reporters' questions as he enters the confirmation hearing office set up at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office on the 15th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

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[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Lee Hyun-joo] The nomination of Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Director of the Judicial Research and Training Institute (Prosecutor General), as Minister of Justice has triggered a red light for the confirmation hearings of the other ministerial candidates, including Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo. The Democratic Party of Korea initially left room to cooperate as much as possible with President-elect Yoon's cabinet appointments, but after Yoon officially named Han as the Justice Minister candidate, the party changed its stance 180 degrees, viewing it as a declaration of 'all-out war.' They plan to wield the sword of thorough verification, seeing 'Han Duck-soo, Han Dong-hoon, and Jung Ho-young' as the core axis of a disastrous administration. In particular, if the appointment of Han Dong-hoon is insisted upon, there is a possibility that Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo could be rejected during the confirmation hearing. The Prime Minister nominee's hearing is expected to be postponed until the end of this month.

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According to political circles on the 15th, the special committee for the Prime Minister nominee's confirmation hearing is likely to postpone the hearing originally scheduled for April 20-21 to the 27th. Although Kang Byung-won, the Democratic Party's secretary of the special committee, and Sung Il-jong, the People Power Party's secretary, met to discuss the hearing schedule, they failed to coordinate the schedule because the Democratic Party claimed that the materials submitted by the Prime Minister nominee were insufficient. A Democratic Party official said, "To summon witnesses, a request must be made five days in advance, but there is currently too little material, so the schedule may be delayed," adding, "There is precedent for the hearing being extended by one day during former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo's time, so it is possible the hearing will be held on the 27th."

The Democratic Party is demanding basic materials regarding the Prime Minister nominee's high salary at Kim & Chang law firm, involvement in the sale of Korea Exchange Bank to Lone Star, a high prepaid monthly rent contract with a foreign company for his residence, and his spouse's asset formation. However, the Prime Minister nominee's side is reportedly refusing to submit the documents, citing reasons such as "impossible to obtain" and "trade secrets." On the same day, Representative Kang criticized, "What exactly did a person without a lawyer's license do at a law office, and how was his work capacity so outstanding that he received nearly 2 billion won in salary over 4 years and 4 months?" He added, "He is even refusing to submit the employment contract, which any worker would have."

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at a morning meeting, "April 26 is the expiration date for the confirmation hearing personnel adoption report. Only ten days remain, but not a single hearing has been held yet," adding, "This could be misunderstood as obstructing and hampering the new government's launch," urging a prompt confirmation hearing schedule.

However, the Democratic Party plans to strengthen the verification of the Prime Minister nominee following the nomination of Han Dong-hoon as Minister of Justice. At a meeting, Democratic Party co-interim leader Yoon Ho-jung said, "The nomination of Han Dong-hoon is a declaration of war against the people," calling it "a preemptive strike by the People Power Party, which still holds some hope for the next government." Co-interim leader Park Ji-hyun also said, "With Yoon nominating Han Dong-hoon, it has become a strong confrontation between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party," warning, "We will see if President-elect Yoon investigates the admission scandal of Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jung Ho-young's child and the collusion between the prosecution and media involving Minister nominee Han at the level of the Cho Kuk investigation." She further warned, "If the Cho Kuk standard is not applied to himself and his close associates, the people will step up to judge."

The Democratic Party raised suspicions that Minister nominee Jung's daughter transferred into medical school but rarely took courses through seasonal semesters during the preparation process.

Oh Young-hwan, the party's floor spokesperson, said in a phone interview, "Since Minister nominee Han has not yet submitted materials, we cannot examine specific issues, but we will investigate political interference and privatization of the prosecution," adding, "From the Prime Minister nominee down, this is a 'triangle' of a disastrous administration that no one can ignore." He criticized, "Minister of the Interior and Safety nominee Lee Sang-min is a person with no expertise except being a close aide to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety oversees the police, so it looks like they intend to control the prosecution and police together with Minister nominee Han."

A Democratic Party official said, "The key to this confirmation hearing is Han Dong-hoon." He added, "At the beginning of the appointments, there was an opinion in the party meeting to 'make some concessions and cooperate since it is the start of the administration.' But after Han Dong-hoon was nominated, the atmosphere completely changed," adding, "They declared war first, so can we avoid it? We will go to the end (with the confirmation hearing)."

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