Focus on Checking 'Eodaehan' Han Dong-hoon... "Should We Also Accept the 'Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecutor Act'?"

In the full-scale election battle for the People Power Party's July 23 leadership convention, opposition against former Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon is intensifying. In response to the slogan 'Eodaehan (Anyway, the leader is Han Dong-hoon),' party leadership candidates Na Kyung-won, Yoon Sang-hyun, and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong are stepping up their offensives.

On the 24th, former Minister Won Hee-ryong attended a study meeting for first-term lawmakers held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building and criticized the opposition's special prosecutor campaign regarding allegations of stock manipulation involving Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, saying, "What has our Ministry of Justice done?" This remark is interpreted as targeting former Minister Han Dong-hoon, who served as the first Minister of Justice under the Yoon administration.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

Former Minister Won pointed out, "The prosecution has investigated Kim Geon-hee's Deutsche Motors case for the past two years, but have they reached a conclusion? The Democratic Party keeps dragging this out as a reason for a special prosecutor, but what has our Ministry of Justice done, what has our judiciary done, and what has the ruling party leadership done during these two years?"

Regarding last year's dismissal of the arrest warrant request for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, he added, "The rejection due to the Democratic Party's shielding is inevitable; I suggested that they should rather prosecute without detention and let the court handle the trial." He continued, "Nevertheless, they re-requested the arrest warrant, which was dismissed by the court, causing a fatal blow to the Gangseo District Office chief election and this general election."

At a press conference the previous day, former Chairman Han, who insisted on proposing the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act' regardless of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Department's investigation, seemed to be targeted by former Minister Won, who said, "If all political suspicions lead to special prosecutors, what is the point of primary investigative agencies like the police, prosecution, and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which are established by our constitution?" He emphasized, "State institutions must function normally in terms of judicial justice. There should be no special treatment just because someone is the First Lady or the President."

Lawmaker Na Kyung-won also criticized former Chairman Han, who mentioned the special prosecutor law. In a CBS radio interview that morning, Na said, "The Democratic Party's push for the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor has no interest in uncovering the truth and is intended to lead to the President's impeachment." She questioned, "Can you change your stance on the special prosecutor just by citing public opinion?"

Na added, "In principle, if there are suspicions after the Corruption Investigation Office's investigation, a special prosecutor should naturally be appointed. But if you push for a special prosecutor like this from now on, I want to ask if you would accept a 'Han Dong-hoon special prosecutor' proposed by the opposition if public opinion is high." She continued, "This (ruling party's special prosecutor push) is a naive and innocent idea. It makes me think that you need to have more political experience. After accepting the (Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor), the opposition will keep demanding this and that. Then, the real livelihood issues we should be focusing on will be nowhere to be found," she criticized.

Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun also posted on his Facebook that day, "Former Chairman Han said he could not oppose the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act because the public has suspicions." He questioned, "Then what should we do about the 'Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecutor Act,' which the Jo-guk Innovation Party proposed as their first bill? Should we also accept the 'Han Dong-hoon Special Prosecutor Act' proposed by the Jo-guk Innovation Party due to public distrust?"

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.