On the bulletin board: "Expecting vigorous performance at the National Audit"
Refrain from formalities and remove the honorific 'nim'
As preference rises, opposition attacks increase
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] "Over the past three years, the Ministry of Justice has been turned into entertainment during the National Assembly inspection (Gukgam), but (this year) the public officials are actually waiting eagerly for the busiest Gukgam of the year to come sooner."
This was posted by a Ministry of Justice employee on the workplace community ‘Blind’. For public officials, the National Assembly inspection is the most stressful ‘ordeal period’ of the year, from preparation to results. The reason Ministry of Justice employees are eagerly awaiting Gukgam is Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon. The poster previously predicted that Minister Han would perform brilliantly at this year’s Gukgam, saying, "Even if I have to stay up all night to cover it, I would be happy." Minister Han marks one month since his appointment on the 17th. During this period, preference and trust toward Minister Han within the Ministry of Justice have been increasing.
Minister Han, who left a strong impression from the confirmation hearing, immediately after his appointment raised the establishment of an Immigration Office as a new agenda and instructed the Ministry of Justice to review lowering the age of juvenile offenders and improving the treatment of correctional officers. At the weekly executive meeting on the 14th, he emphasized the need for vigilance amid the internal and external economic crisis and told employees, "You should not consider this as the work of other ministries," adding, "We must support through consistent yet flexible justice policies." He also instructed to be careful not to cause humiliation when producing promotional content related to victims of the arson incident at a Daegu law office that resulted in seven deaths, as well as inmates and juvenile detention center students.
He discouraged ministerial protocol and ordered to remove the honorific suffix ‘nim’ from official documents such as reports when addressing ‘Minister-nim’ or ‘Vice Minister-nim’. It is said that his abstention from social networking services (SNS) since his appointment has also been well received internally. Minister Han has not posted anything on his Facebook account since uploading a photo holding a cat on October 14, 2021.
This contrasts with the previous two ministers, Choo Mi-ae and Park Beom-gye, who had set their Facebook accounts to ‘public’ and actively expressed their positions on planned policies or social issues. Ministry of Justice employees said that during their terms, the two former ministers often disclosed internal Ministry affairs or declared policies not yet discussed through SNS, causing difficulties in damage control. Minister Han will carry out a mid-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle at the end of this month. Whether a fair personnel reshuffle is conducted could also affect Minister Han’s support. Opposition parties’ checks and pressures are intensifying. The Democratic Party of Korea defines the investigations by the prosecution and police related to the ‘Ministry of Industry blacklist’ and the ‘Daejang-dong development scandal’ as ‘planned investigations’ and ‘political retaliation’. The police have been investigating allegations of ghostwriting in the thesis of Minister Han’s eldest daughter for a month.
At a meeting with reporters the day before, Minister Han said, "Now is not the time to talk about my one-month reflections but the time to work hard," adding, "I and the Ministry of Justice want to do our work diligently and well. Please watch over us."
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