"Not Just Jeong Ho-young, There Are Several Officials Who Do Not Meet the Public's Expectations"
[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized Jeong Ho-young, nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, for the second consecutive day on the 19th, saying "his downfall is only a matter of time." He urged President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol to "immediately withdraw the nomination of unqualified candidates and apologize to the public before it is too late."
Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 19th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
On that day, at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning, Floor Leader Park said, "Less than a day after President-elect Yoon defended that there must be facts of wrongdoing, a series of facts of wrongdoing have been pouring out, including splitting volunteer hours of his children and false entries in military service re-examinations. Now it is time for investigation beyond verification."
Floor Leader Park emphasized, "The public is watching how the investigative authorities investigate the accused nominee Jeong. The prosecution must conduct a thorough and swift investigation leaving no suspicion behind."
Regarding President-elect Yoon, he pointed out, "He bears great responsibility for the personnel disaster," adding, "Not only Jeong Ho-young, but also Han Deok-soo (nominee for Prime Minister), who received preferential treatment as a former official, Han Dong-hoon (nominee for Minister of Justice), who was judged unfit by the public, and Kim In-cheol (nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education), who is suspected of private school corruption, are among the personnel who do not meet the public’s standards."
He said, "This level of failed personnel appointments is difficult to do even if one tries intentionally," and warned, "If President-elect Yoon does not take responsibility and resolve this himself, his fairness and common sense will collapse irreversibly."
Regarding the prosecution reform bill that entered the first subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly the previous day, he said, "Yesterday, the legislative process for separating investigative authority began, marking the first step in the second phase of power institution reform," and emphasized, "Now, the normalization of prosecution functions has entered an irreversible path. We will do our best for meticulous bill review and prompt legislation."
He added, "The separation of agencies dedicated to investigation and prosecution has been a long-standing task in Korea and a global trend," and said, "If a Korean-style FBI is promptly established by combining specialized investigative personnel such as the prosecution’s special department and economic crime investigation units with prosecution investigative personnel, investigative capabilities can be maximized." He also urged, "The People Power Party should move away from obstructing parliamentary proceedings with opposition for the sake of opposition and show a responsible attitude by proposing reasonable alternatives."
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