"Good Appointment," They Said—Then He Stepped Down: Fallout from the Ruling Party's Defense

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea had defended Kim Seung-won, nominee for Minister of Justice, to the end, calling him a "good appointment." But after Kim stepped down just two days after the confirmation hearing report was adopted, calls for accountability over the ruling bloc's personnel vetting are growing. The People Power Party declared that "the people drove Yong Hye-in and Kim Seung-won out" and has directly targeted Kang Shin-chul, nominee for Minister of National Defense, as well as the Presidential Office's personnel officials.

According to political sources on the 20th, Kim said the previous day, "After deep consideration, I have decided to give up the nomination for Minister of Justice." His statement came shortly after President Lee Jae Myung said a day earlier that he would "make a careful decision, taking public opinion and other factors into consideration" regarding whether to appoint Kim.
The Democratic Party of Korea now faces a political burden after actively defending Kim. Party leader Kim Min-seok said on the 11th, "The more I look into it, the more I believe it was a good appointment. We will stand by him." The party even formed a response team and led the adoption of the confirmation hearing report on the 17th while People Power Party lawmakers walked out. Yet Kim stepped down just two days later.
The opposition bloc immediately went on the offensive. Chung Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, called Kim "the spearhead of the push to cancel indictments" and argued, "Candidate Kim's resignation is long overdue. The investigation into allegations of involvement in stock-price manipulation must continue regardless of whether the nominee resigns." Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also called it "a victory for the people" and urged an investigation into the allegations he had raised.
Kim's withdrawal has created uncertainty for prosecution reform as well. Jeong Seong-ho, the former justice minister, stepped down on the 26th of last month, leaving the Ministry of Justice without a permanent head as the Public Prosecution Office and Serious Crime Investigation Agency are set to launch on the 2nd of next month. Organizational and personnel restructuring, revisions to subordinate statutes, and the transfer of existing cases are still pending. However, a successor nominee will have to restart the confirmation hearing process. At the time of his nomination, Kim said, "My most urgent mission is to ensure that the new criminal justice system takes root successfully in South Korea for the first time in 70 years." The country now appears increasingly likely to face a major transition in its criminal justice system without a justice minister.


The opposition is using Kim's withdrawal as a springboard to broaden its offensive to the remaining ministerial nominees. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk said that day, "The people drove Yong Hye-in and Kim Seung-won out," stressing, "Individual misconduct was merely the trigger; the people rejected President Lee Jae Myung's handling of state affairs."
Jang particularly targeted Kang, saying, "The public's scrutiny is now focused on Kang Shin-chul." He added, "He is not Kang Shin-chul but 'Gan-shin-chul.' He is even 'Gan-shin-chul-geomin,'" and demanded that President Lee withdraw the nomination.
Jang also said that Lee Hyoung-il, nominee for Minister of Finance and Economy, and Hong Ji-sun, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, were unqualified. Addressing Kim Hyun-ji, head of the Presidential Office's auxiliary office, he urged her to appear at the parliamentary audit, saying, "The people are asking who led this botched cabinet reshuffle. Was it Kim Hyun-ji, the 'everything-goes-through-Hyun-ji' figure?"
The People Power Party plans to hold a "National Public Report on the Lee Jae Myung Administration's Policy Failures" at the National Assembly on the 22nd of this month, continuing its offensive against the government. Within the party, however, some are urging caution over expanding extraparliamentary protests after Chuseok. One People Power Party official said, "Apart from personnel appointments, how many livelihood issues are there to examine during the parliamentary audit? We need to consider whether we can pursue outside-the-Assembly activities and the audit at the same time."


[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter