Candidate Park Min-sik "I regret the preferential treatment for former officials"

At the Confirmation Hearing: "After Prosecutors Resign, They Open Law Firms and Are Sequentially Appointed"

At the confirmation hearing on the 22nd by the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee for Park Min-sik, the nominee for Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, intense scrutiny was focused on allegations of preferential treatment during his past career as a lawyer and holding concurrent positions as a member of the National Assembly and a lawyer.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "The nominee, who resigned as a prosecutor in 2006, opened a private law office and within a short period of 1 year and 4 months before running for the National Assembly, took on cases estimated to be worth 5 billion KRW and paid 740 million KRW in related income tax," adding, "It appears he amassed money through tremendous preferential treatment."

Another member of the same party, Min Byung-duk, also said, "When he resigned as a prosecutor in 2006, it was for health and economic reasons. After being elected to the National Assembly in 2008, his declared assets were 2.58 billion KRW. His assets increased this much in less than a year," and accused, "He opened his office in Seocho-dong right next to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is a typical case of preferential treatment."

In response, nominee Park said, "Regarding these matters, from the public’s perspective, I believe the lawmaker’s criticisms are valid," and added, "I feel sorry about those aspects."

Park Yong-jin further pointed out, "After becoming a member of the National Assembly in 2008, he gathered juniors and established a law firm called ‘Haneul’," and criticized, "Despite violations of the National Assembly Act and the Attorney-at-Law Act, he seems to intend to continue enjoying the wrongful privileges of preferential treatment. The evidence is clearly reflected in more than 16 cases of the nominee’s (lawyer) appointments documented in Supreme Court rulings."