"Jeong Ho-young Appointment Deferred, Concerned About Han Deok-su Confirmation"
"If Candidate Jeong Makes a Decision, Could It Be a Key to Resolving the Political Situation?"
On the 21st of last month, when the referral of the 'Complete Inspection Ban' bill to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's Agenda Coordination Committee was imminent, opposition party floor leader Yoo Sang-beom of the People Power Party, along with Park Hyung-soo and Cho Soo-jin, visited the office of the chairman of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in protest and responded to reporters' questions.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Park Hyung-soo, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated on the 19th, "Personally, I think it is now time for Jeong Ho-young, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, to make a decision to ease the burden on the President."
In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day, Park said, "If the nominee (Jeong) makes a decision to resign even today, the confirmation of Prime Minister nominee Han Deok-soo is scheduled for tomorrow. I believe this could sufficiently foster bipartisan cooperation."
When asked, "If nominee Han is rejected, will nominee Jeong be appointed?" Park replied, "It is hard to be certain, but the current suspension of Jeong's appointment clearly shows concern over Han's confirmation. The President must be deeply troubled as well. Jeong is a figure with many allegations raised against him."
He added, "Although the ruling party is a minority, it would look better if the ruling party shows concessions for cooperation. Since the People Power Party participated in the May 18 Democratic Uprising memorial ceremony yesterday and the atmosphere between the ruling and opposition parties is good, I think the Democratic Party will not choose to reject nominee Han's confirmation."
He continued, "From the People Power Party's perspective, if the Democratic Party refuses, some within the Democratic Party argue that nominee Han should be confirmed, which would deepen internal conflicts. There is no disadvantage for us in the People Power Party," he explained. He also added, "The current political situation is deadlocked, but if nominee Jeong makes a decision, it might be a key to resolving the deadlock."
Regarding criticism that many close aides of President Yoon Seok-youl were reinstated in the recent high-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle, Park described it as "normalization of abnormality," explaining, "Former Justice Ministers Chu Mi-ae and Park Beom-gye completely disrupted the prosecution personnel system. Trying to normalize this naturally looks like what we see now."
On criticism that there are too many prosecutors in the President's Secretariat, he said, "For example, if a former Minister of Economy and Finance becomes President, it is natural that many officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance would accompany him. They have worked closely together and coordinated well," adding, "I think this aspect should be considered."
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