Choi Jae-hyung: "If Han Dong-hoon Leads the Emergency Committee, He Must Bear the 'Prosecutor Republic' Risk"

With the resignation of Representative Kim Ki-hyun leading to the decision to transition to an emergency response committee (hereafter, ERC) system within the People Power Party, speculation about Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, one of the ruling party's leading presidential candidates, becoming the ERC chairperson is gaining momentum. Meanwhile, Representative Choi Jae-hyung of the People Power Party expressed concerns about the risk of a 'Prosecutor's Republic.'

Choi Jae-hyung, a member of the People Power Party, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the '2022 Seoul Future Forum' held on the 16th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 18th, Representative Choi responded on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' to the host's question asking, "The opposition party often talks about a Prosecutor's Republic regarding the current Yoon Seok-yeol administration. What kind of evaluation would come if Minister Han takes on the role of ERC chairperson?" by saying, "We have to consider that such a risk must be borne from the start."

This implies that it would be difficult to avoid criticism of a 'Prosecutor's Republic' raised by the opposition if there is a 'Han Dong-hoon ERC.' He added, "However, it takes a lot of time to show that this is not the case, and whether such an image can be demonstrated in such a short period before next year's general election is something we need to seriously consider."

When asked whether "Minister Han could speak frankly to President Yoon Seok-yeol," he said, "There are two sides. There is the question of how those accustomed to the principle of prosecutor unity can actually do that," and added, "But from what I hear, even when he was in the prosecution, Han Dong-hoon was a prosecutor who spoke up while serving under the Prosecutor General."

He continued, "So, we can have some expectations, but from the public's perspective, there is some skepticism about whether that is really possible, and the opposition will also frame it that way."

Representative Choi also viewed a 'management-type ERC chairperson' as one possible approach. He said, "If a really good Public Relations Committee is well organized and launched, and the election campaign headquarters is also well established, then whoever becomes the ERC chairperson should ideally be a management-type," adding, "According to party rules, the ERC chairperson cannot act for more than 60 days, so having a management-type ERC chairperson who can properly manage the party could be one method, though I am not sure how realistic that is."