Ruling party: “Lee Yong-cheol is the right person for prosecution reform”; opposition’s Daejang-dong allegations are a political attack

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea welcomed President Lee Jae Myung’s nomination of Lee Yong-cheol, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), as a candidate for minister of justice on the 8th, calling him “the right person to lead new legal administration after prosecution reform.” It also countered allegations related to Daejang-dong raised by the People Power Party, calling them “an unfounded political attack.”
Shin Hyun-young, a Democratic Party spokesperson, said in a written briefing that day, “The nominee is someone who has personally designed judicial reform and institutional reforms to combat corruption.”
Shin emphasized that the nominee led the introduction of Korean Jury Trials and the expansion of the public defender system while serving as legal affairs secretary in the Participatory Government, and also took part in discussions on establishing the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). Shin also said that, while serving as head of DAPA, he took the lead in advancing the contracting process for the Korean-style destroyer (KDDX) project and preparing a special act on nuclear-powered submarines.
Criticizing the People Power Party, Shin said, “The claims it makes by bringing up Daejang-dong and Dong-gyu Yu are baseless ‘throw it out and see what sticks’ allegations,” adding, “That is not the conduct of a responsible political party.”
Shin added, “Rigorous vetting must be clearly distinguished from baseless political attacks,” and said, “I hope this confirmation hearing will go beyond wasteful political wrangling and serve as a constructive forum for properly examining the nominee’s qualifications and capabilities.” 


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