President Lee narrows candidates for next justice minister to two former prosecutors: Park Kyun-taek and Yang Bu-nam

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung is reportedly considering Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Park Kyun-taek and Yang Bu-nam as the final candidates to succeed the justice minister, a post that has been vacant for two months. Both lawmakers are legal professionals who held senior positions in the prosecution service. The selection appears focused on finding someone to lead efforts to stabilize the organization and overhaul the system following the launch of the new criminal justice system.
A Blue House official said on the 25th that President Lee is continuing his final-stage deliberations on Park and Yang.
The justice minister post has been vacant for about two months since former minister Jeong Seong-ho stepped down at the end of August due to health problems. President Lee nominated lawmaker Kim Seung-won as his successor in the August 30 Cabinet reshuffle, but Kim withdrew from consideration on the 19th of last month after allegations emerged, including claims of solicitation related to approval of clinical trials for new drugs. The Blue House has since continued the selection process, narrowing the pool of candidates again.
As the ministerial vacancy continued, the criminal justice system reached a major turning point. The Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) were launched on the 2nd alongside the abolition of the Prosecutors’ Office, but the Ministry of Justice is still being run by Deputy Minister Lee Jin-su as acting minister. With the leadership vacancy continuing from the outset of the new system, the importance of managing the organization and following up with institutional reforms has also grown.
With the withdrawal of the previous nominee increasing the pressure on the vetting process, President Lee appears to be deliberating cautiously, taking into account political reactions and public opinion trends, among other factors.
The two candidates shortlisted are both first-term lawmakers from Honam in the pro-Lee Jae Myung camp and former heads of high prosecutors’ offices. As both have an understanding of the prosecution service and experience in politics, some interpret the selection as prioritizing the policy coordination and organizational management skills needed to establish the new criminal justice system. There is also speculation that the selection takes into account their status as sitting lawmakers from the ruling party, including their potential role in passing legislation to improve the system and fostering cooperation between the party and the government.


Park graduated from Daedong High School in Gwangju, Seoul National University School of Law and the 21st class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He has served as head of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecutors’ Bureau, chief of the Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Office and head of the Legal Research and Training Institute, among other posts. Notably, he was the first head of the Prosecutors’ Bureau under the Moon Jae-in administration, overseeing key administrative functions such as prosecutorial appointments, organizational management and budgeting. He ran in Gwangju Gwangsan A in the 2024 general election and was elected.
Park also attended as a defense counsel when President Lee was questioned at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office in connection with the allegations of Ssangbangwool remittances to North Korea. During Lee’s tenure as leader of the Democratic Party, Park served as the party leader’s special legal adviser and was involved in addressing major legal issues.
Yang graduated from Damyang Technical High School and Chonnam National University School of Law and is a graduate of the 22nd class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute. He served as head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea, as well as chief of the Gwangju and Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Offices and the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office, handling investigations into major cases and managing the prosecution service.
He entered the National Assembly as the representative for Gwangju Seo-gu B in the 2024 general election and currently chairs the Democratic Party of Korea’s Legal Affairs Committee.
The new justice minister is expected to face the task of ensuring the stable operation of the Public Prosecution Office and pursuing follow-up institutional reforms in response to the separation of investigation and prosecution, while minimizing confusion that may arise as related agencies coordinate their work.


[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter