Ministry of Justice: "Han Dong-hoon-US Attorney General Meeting Unavoidably Canceled... Daily Operations Continue"

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is attending the Education, Social, and Cultural Questions to the Government session held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice has strongly denied media reports claiming that Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon's trip to the United States differed from the originally planned schedule and requires investigation, stating that "this is completely untrue and contains many distortions."

On the 7th, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement saying, "This trip to the United States was conducted over a 7-night, 9-day schedule to discuss strengthening criminal justice cooperation on cybercrime and financial crime, as well as the operation plan for the high-ranking public official personnel verification system. Compared to previous trips, the delegation size was minimized (only 3 working-level staff accompanied) to significantly reduce unnecessary expenses (total delegation of 4 people, with total expenses including exchange rates, inflation, and airfare sharply increased due to COVID-19 amounting to 48.4 million KRW)." The statement added, "The delegation completed a total of 11 official schedules (7 institutional visits, 3 meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a wreath-laying at a war memorial) in a tightly packed manner."

Regarding claims that there was no explanation despite the failure of a meeting with the U.S. Attorney General, the Ministry said, "The Ministries of Justice of both Korea and the U.S. had agreed to hold a meeting between the two ministers during Minister Han’s trip to the U.S., but after departure, the detailed schedule coordination failed to align, making the meeting inevitably impossible. Both ministries share the recognition of the importance of close cooperation and adjusted the minister’s visit schedule to June 30, when seven top officials from the U.S. Department of Justice could gather at once. The delegation discussed cooperation plans with these top U.S. Department of Justice officials."

They also added, "The two ministers promised to meet again in the future."

"The delegation began by visiting the World Bank (Washington D.C.) on the same day after a 14-hour flight from Incheon to Washington D.C., then sequentially visited the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and discussed cooperation measures. Except for weekends and the return day, official schedules were carried out daily," denying suspicions that the minister’s detailed movements were questionable due to some empty slots in the schedule.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice stated, "The ‘Overseas Business Trip Plan’ is prepared in advance during the trip preparation stage and can be changed later due to local circumstances or the need to add or adjust schedules during the actual trip."

Minister Han traveled to Washington D.C. and New York, among other locations in the U.S., from June 29 for a 7-night, 9-day trip.

Earlier, the domestic progressive media outlet Minjung’s Voice pointed out discrepancies between the 'Official Overseas Business Trip Plan' and the 'Ministry of Justice Minister’s U.S. Trip Report,' raising suspicions by stating, "The Ministry of Justice Minister’s trip, which delayed tasks he should have done, must be transparently clarified." In particular, the trip plan included a meeting with the U.S. Attorney General, but in reality, two deputy ministers met instead of the minister, which "requires explanation." They also pointed out some empty slots in the schedule.