Ruling Party Moves to Block Han Dong-hoon Outright... All-Out Effort to Save Kim Seung-won

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea appears to be moving to block independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon outright in an effort to protect Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice. The party has dismissed calls from pro-Han lawmakers to assign Han to the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee so that he can scrutinize Kim, while also pursuing his expulsion.
Park Kyun-taek of the Democratic Party of Korea appeared on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) radio program 'Jeongyeok Sisa' on the 10th. Asked whether Han should join the confirmation hearing committee for Kim, Park said, "Han has a personality marked by an attention-seeking tendency to want to stand at the center of every issue, just as he did when he was a prosecutor. He always has a tendency to splice things together, overstate them, and manipulate them, so I cannot support turning Kim’s confirmation hearing into a political show for Han."
Recently, Han has positioned himself as an attack dog by releasing a recording related to allegations of lobbying over a new drug involving Kim, as well as the prosecution’s plan to indict Kim. In response, the Democratic Party of Korea has been confronting Han day after day in an effort to protect Kim. In particular, the party is demanding that Han disclose the source of the prosecution plan he released, believing that he obtained it through illegal means.
Park pointed out, "The prosecution plan is a document that cannot be leaked outside. It is an internal decision-making document, so it would not be submitted to a court and must not be leaked. The moment it goes outside, the crime of disclosing official secrets in the course of public duties is established."
He speculated, "As for the leak of the prosecution plan, perhaps a former prosecutor who was part of one of the investigative lines that Han used to control effectively in the past did this." He continued, "For public officials, even if they disclose official secrets outside after retirement, the crime of disclosing official secrets in the course of public duties is established. This can only be viewed as a relationship in which the parties are connected through a crime."
He added, "Han must be disciplined," and said, "I believe the National Assembly should expel Han under the National Assembly Act over this matter."
Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, also backed efforts to expel Han. Appearing on Minjoo TV on the 10th, he said, "Han initially positioned himself as the attacker in Kim’s confirmation hearing, but now it has become the 'Han Dong-hoon case.' There is more than reasonable suspicion that a clear violation of the law is involved; we are almost certain of it." He then lashed out, saying, "Han is not qualified to serve as a member of the National Assembly."
Analysts say the Democratic Party of Korea’s offensive against Han is ultimately linked to its efforts to protect Kim. If Han continues making additional disclosures at Kim’s confirmation hearing or in the National Assembly, it would increase the burden on the party as well. Analysts also interpret the party’s use of the 'politicized prosecution' frame regarding the recordings and prosecution plan raised by Han as an attempt to consolidate its support base and characterize the attacks on Kim as misconduct by politically motivated prosecutors.
The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party (PPP) also failed to reach an agreement on selecting witnesses and reference witnesses for Kim’s confirmation hearing. The Democratic Party of Korea publicly said the agreement fell through because of the PPP’s excessive attempts to select witnesses, but political circles analyze the party’s underlying concern as the risk of amplifying issues surrounding Kim. In effect, the Democratic Party of Korea is putting all its efforts into helping Kim survive the confirmation process.
[email protected] Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter