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| Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon, center, answers questions from reporters in front of the Korea Banking Institute building in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Han Dong-hoon's close ties to Yoon, uncompromising spirit, terminator-like style sources of concern
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Rep. Yun Ho-jung, the interim leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), voiced concerns about President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's nomination of his closest aide, Han Dong-hoon, as justice minister.
Using unusually strong words, the DPK leader took the nomination as the president-elect's de facto "declaration of war against the parliament."
"Everybody knows that Han is the president-elect's closest aide, and probably for this reason, some call him the 'crown prince' of the Yoon government. Thus, Yoon's nomination of Han as justice minister has signaled his intention of ruling with an iron fist," he said on a radio show on Thursday.
Yun said that his party members intend to screen the justice minister candidate thoroughly at a confirmation hearing in the National Assembly, the date of which is yet to be set, to find out if he is truly qualified for the job. Considered Yoon's "right-hand man" when he was the prosecutor-general, the president-elect reiterated several times that Han is the "best person to oversee and transform Korea's judicial system."
His strongly-worded reaction to the nomination reflects a shared concern among DPK members about the days to come after Han takes the helm in the ministry. The National Assembly's confirmation hearings of Cabinet minister nominees are not binding and the president can appoint his picks of ministers even if they fail to get the nod from the lawmakers.
During a meeting with other senior DPK members, floor leader Park Hong-keun claimed that the justice minister nominee is virtually the No. 2 official in the Yoon government, who is in a position to flex his muscles behind the scenes in his favor.
"We must remove him before he can become like a cancer," he said.
The strong reactions shown by DPK members came amid an ongoing investigation into the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's alleged involvement in a blacklist scandal. An unnamed director general-level official at the ministry had been accused of pressuring the CEOs of four state-run firms affiliated with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), who were appointed during the Park Geun-hye government, to quit, even though their tenures had yet to end. All four ended up resigning before their terms ended.
The prosecution launched an investigation into the case in late March, weeks after Yoon won the presidential election and 38 months after the case was brought to the attention of prosecutors.
Those who were implicated in the charges are expected to be punished, similar to those who were involved in a nearly identical case that occurred at state-run firms affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, who were found guilty.
Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who lost the March 9 presidential election by a razor-thin .73 of a percent, has been accused of being involved in a land development project in the Daejang-dong area of Seongnam. The prosecution has yet to kick off its investigation into that case.
DPK lawmakers portrayed Yoon's nomination of Han for justice minister as a "prelude to Korea becoming the Republic of the Prosecution," reflecting concerns about prosecutors launching investigations into high-ranking Moon Jae-in administration officials as political retaliation.
Han is known for his "uncompromising" and "terminator-like" work style. He is known as the last person to make concessions or give political consideration even if he is pressured to do so from his boss or the presidential office.
When Han investigated a slush fund scandal involving members of the conservative main opposition party in 2003 and a corruption scandal related to impeached former President Park Geun-hye, he was labelled as a villain by right-wingers who supported Park.
When he led an investigation into a scandal related to former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, Han was lambasted by left-wingers. Cho's wife was found guilty of academic fraud and insider trading.
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