Minister Han: "Deotamsa, Kim Eui-gyeom and other key politicians collaborated to commit illegal acts"
Lee Jae-myung criticizes "Judicialization of politics" ... Han says "It's merely an investigation into local entrenched corruption"
Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is answering questions from reporters as he arrives at the Ministry of Justice in the Government Complex Gwacheon on the morning of the 28th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon sharply criticized the YouTube media outlet The Tam-sa's unauthorized intrusion into his residence, saying, "The Democratic Party and The Tam-sa seem to be playing the role of political thugs from the past."
Minister Han made these remarks on the morning of the 28th while heading to the Ministry of Justice at the Government Complex Gwacheon and speaking with reporters. He criticized the Democratic Party and The Tam-sa for collaborating like politicians and political thugs of the past.
Five reporters from The Tam-sa attempted to trespass on Minister Han's residence around 1 p.m. the previous day, stating, "Although we do not have compulsory investigative authority, we want Minister Han to empathize with how journalists feel when police investigators suddenly conduct surprise raids on Sundays, so we plan to cover this."
In response, Minister Han filed a police complaint against the five reporters from The Tam-sa on charges of trespassing and retaliatory crimes. It is known that only Minister Han's wife and children were at home at the time.
Minister Han said, "In the past, political thugs like Lee Jung-jae, Im Hwa-soo, and Yongpali acted on behalf of politicians to carry out illegal acts that politicians found difficult to do themselves. Now, places like The Tam-sa seem to be collaborating with mainstream politicians like Representative Kim Eui-gyeom or relying on their backing, playing the role that political thugs used to play."
He added, "False provocations at Cheongdam-dong drinking parties, unauthorized disclosure of victim lists from the Itaewon disaster, illegal tailing of the Minister of Justice's vehicle, and trespassing on the Minister of Justice's residence?these are illegal acts that mainstream politicians find difficult to carry out directly."
He continued, "The Democratic Party and The Tam-sa are collaborating like politicians and political thugs of the past, and even when proven false, they do not apologize. Moreover, they have declared that they will continue to act this way in the future. If this is allowed to continue, it will become a lawless land where any of our citizens could be subjected to the same treatment at any time, which is a truly horrifying prospect," raising his voice.
The Tam-sa side claims they contacted Minister Han's team in advance and that their actions were for reporting purposes, not stalking. Regarding this, Minister Han responded, "They did not contact us beforehand," and questioned, "Does attaching the name of 'reporting' allow all illegal acts? Have they ever reported like this before?"
Minister Han also stated that he is preparing civil and criminal actions against those who supported The Tam-sa's reports, including Democratic Party Representative Kim Eui-gyeom.
Additionally, Minister Han rebutted Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's criticism of the prosecution's investigation into the Daejang-dong development allegations, in which Lee mentioned the serious 'judicialization of politics.'
Minister Han said, "'Judicialization of politics' refers to politicians bringing issues that can be resolved politically into the judicial realm through lawsuits and complaints. The current prosecution investigation is targeting local entrenched corruption. It does not seem appropriate to describe it as judicialization of politics."
He emphasized, "If anything, the term 'politicization of the judiciary,' where politicians inject politics into the judiciary to defend their own crimes, seems more fitting."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
