Yun Hojung: "Han Donghoon Appointment as Minister of Justice is Yoon's Declaration of War on the National Assembly... Verification at the Hearing"

"Expression of Intent for Security Governance"
Prosecution Reform Bills May Be Promulgated at Cabinet Meeting on May 3
People Power's Filibuster: "There Have Been Cases of Shortening and Ending Temporary National Assembly Sessions"
Very Regrettable Stance of Non-Cooperation by Justice Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 14th, Yoon Ho-jung, co-chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the nomination of Prosecutor General Han Dong-hoon as the Minister of Justice, saying, "This is a kind of declaration of war by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol against the National Assembly." He pointed out, "By appointing Han, who is a close aide and is even called the Crown Prince by some, it expresses the intention to clearly enforce public security control."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

That morning, Chairman Yoon appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and said, "If the prosecution's investigative authority is separated, the Ministry of Justice may oversee a separate investigative agency. Currently, the Minister of Justice also has the authority to request a special prosecutor."

Chairman Yoon said, "There are many cases where the prosecution did not investigate, so many incidents went unpunished. We will thoroughly investigate each one," and added, "We will fully verify through the confirmation hearing."

Regarding the People Power Party's filibuster aimed at blocking the passage of the Democratic Party's prosecution reform-related bills, he said, "Last year, the filibuster was stopped by a 180-seat signature, and at the end of the 20th National Assembly, the temporary session was shortened to end the filibuster. We will refer well to these precedents in the National Assembly."

To forcibly end a filibuster, the consent of three-fifths of the total members of the National Assembly, i.e., 180 members, is required. Without the Justice Party's consent, it is difficult with the current Democratic Party seats (172 seats) alone. However, the Justice Party has stated that it is difficult to agree with the timing and method of prosecution reform that the Democratic Party intends to handle in the April National Assembly session.

Chairman Yoon said, "It is very regrettable that the Justice Party has decided not to cooperate with our prosecution reform plan."

He added, "Even Han Dong-hoon, who was just nominated as Minister of Justice, is in a position of 'definitely blocking' the prosecution reform bill. Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo is saying, 'The President will exercise the veto power,' and 'We will go to the Constitutional Court.' However, this reform cannot be delayed even for a moment because the prosecution and the media are the last remaining privileged groups in our society. This is about dismantling that privileged group," he emphasized.

Chairman Yoon reiterated his determination that the goal is to promulgate the bill separating the prosecution's investigative authority at the Cabinet meeting on May 3. When asked if it is physically possible within the time frame, he replied, "Yes. There are about 20 days left, and 20 days is enough time for the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee to discuss."