Hong Ik-pyo: "Han Dong-hoon’s remark on 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act as a bad law' damages political neutrality"

Former Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon has accepted the position of Emergency Response Committee Chairperson of the People Power Party, and recently, Han referred to the so-called 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act' as an "unfair law for the general election." In response, Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized this, saying it "undermines political neutrality."

On the 22nd, Hong said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' program, "At that time, he was already mentioned as a candidate for the Emergency Response Committee Chairperson, but to be precise, his position was Minister of Justice," adding, "For the Minister of Justice to call a matter under discussion in the National Assembly an unfair law is a violation of political neutrality."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He continued, "I said that linking the term 'unfair law' to the general election means '(Minister Han) has become a politician,'" adding, "That is a statement as a politician, not an answer as a legal professional or Minister of Justice."

When asked by the host whether defining it as an election-related law might lead Chairperson Han to propose postponing the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act until after the election, Hong responded, "That is the inconsistency and self-denial between the past Han Dong-hoon and the current Han Dong-hoon," adding, "When someone becomes a politician, they tend to reverse what they said in the past. The past Han Dong-hoon and the current Han Dong-hoon are saying different things."

He suggested that if Han had been the Emergency Response Committee Chairperson during his time as Minister of Justice, he would not have supported postponing the special prosecutor law until after the election. Hong said, "If he were Chairperson Han, he would probably have answered like this: 'Are you saying that prosecutors should not investigate criminals and criminal acts because of the election? Is that a normal stance?' Wouldn't he say something like that?"