Yoon President's Close Aide's Candidacy Becomes Visible... Will the 'Prosecutor Nomination Theory' Resurface?

Presidential Office Administrators Prepare to Run in the 22nd General Election
Prosecutor Nomination Rumors Resurface... Kim Gi-hyeon "No Possibility"

With some aides from the Presidential Office officially declaring their candidacy for the 22nd National Assembly general election on April 10 next year, attention has turned to whether close associates of President Yoon Seok-yeol will run.

Earlier, as President Yoon, a former prosecutor, appointed many former prosecutors to key government positions, rumors of 'prosecutor nominations' spread, drawing interest to whether prosecutors will be nominated as candidates.

Among the Presidential Office staff, Lee Dong-seok, an administrative officer of the New Media Secretariat under the Public Relations Secretary, was the first to publicly announce his intention to run in the general election and resigned on the 2nd. Lee, a former journalist, joined President Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign during the last presidential election and has been working at the Presidential Office since May last year. He plans to run in his hometown, Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do.

The exterior view of the Presidential Office building.

Lee Seung-hwan, an administrative officer at the Political Affairs Secretary's Office, is also reportedly considering running in Jungnang District, Seoul. Lee previously served as an aide to Jeong Byeong-guk, a member of the Future United Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party). Kim In-gyu, an administrative officer at the same Political Affairs Secretary's Office and grandson of the late former President Kim Young-sam, is also preparing to run. The likely constituency for Kim is Seo-gu, Busan, where the former president served seven terms.

As the general election approaches next year, interest is also focused on whether prosecutors will be nominated. Since early this year, rumors have circulated in political circles that many former prosecutors will receive nominations.

Lee Bok-hyun, the first Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) chief from a prosecutorial background and considered the 'youngest member of Yoon Seok-yeol's faction,' said the following at a press conference marking his first anniversary in office on the 1st.

"Given the challenging situation in the financial market, it seems difficult for anyone to step forward voluntarily. However, since I was appointed and came to this position, if I am told to stop my role, I cannot stubbornly insist on staying just because my term is three years. I have to realistically say that."

On the afternoon of the 30th, Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, responded to reporters' questions regarding the search and seizure conducted that day related to allegations of personal information leakage involving Minister Han before attending the Supreme Court Justice Nomination Committee meeting held at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice and a close associate of President Yoon, is also continuously rumored to be drafted for the general election due to his high public recognition. However, during a recent visit to the National Assembly, Minister Han addressed the 'candidacy rumors,' stating, "I am working with goodwill as the Minister of Justice, but I still think I have a lot to improve. I will do my best to fulfill my duties as Minister of Justice."

The opposition party views the moves of President Yoon's close associates to run for office with a critical eye.

Kang Sun-woo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a briefing on the 2nd, "Lee Bok-hyun, the FSS chief who was once the youngest prosecutor in Yoon Seok-yeol's faction, has reversed his previous stance and hinted at running. He said he had 'no intention of running' but changed his words within a year to say it is cautious to mention whether to complete his term given the appointing authority. What is the reason for this change? Isn't it a confession that his candidacy depends on 'Yoon's will'?"

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the on-site Supreme Council meeting held at the Gyeonggi Province Party Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News.

Meanwhile, Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the People Power Party, drew a line on the 'prosecutor nomination rumors.' At the 'National Party Committee Chairpersons Workshop' held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd, Kim said, "Many people say prosecutors will be nominated, but absolutely not. I can say with certainty that there is no such possibility."

Emphasizing 'systematic nominations,' Kim added, "If we unite our hearts to gain support from local residents, I am confident that we will win an overwhelming majority in next year's general election. I hope we focus only on merit-based nominations without being swayed by parachute nominations or anything like that."