Park Seongjae "Recognized High Income After Retirement... Did Not Commit Any Disqualifying Acts"

Nominee for Minister of Justice to Face Confirmation Hearing Tomorrow
46 Billion Won Income from 5 Years of Lawyer Activity
"President Yoon and I Are Not in Frequent Contact"

Park Seong-jae, nominee for Minister of Justice (age 61, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 17), responded to criticisms that his income significantly increased due to preferential treatment after retirement by stating, "I have not engaged in any disqualifying conduct."

Park Sung-jae, nominee for Minister of Justice, is seen arriving at the personnel hearing preparation office set up at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 25th of last month, responding to questions from the press. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

According to political and legal circles on the 14th, Park stated in his written answers submitted to the National Assembly the previous day, "I humbly accept the criticism that my income is relatively high compared to the public's expectations," but added, "However, I have never advertised or hired office managers during the case selection process, nor have I received any undue benefits through improper requests from juniors." The confirmation hearing for Park is scheduled for the 15th.

After retiring from the prosecution in 2017 as the head of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Park worked as a lawyer and earned 4.6 billion KRW over five years, sparking controversy over preferential treatment for former officials.

Regarding the criticism that he did not pay gift tax when registering an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in 2018 jointly with his wife, who had no income at the time, Park explained, "When I first purchased an apartment in 1998, it was bought with joint funds from my wife and me, but the registration was completed solely in my name. After retirement, it was registered jointly to reflect the actual situation." He added, "Since starting married life, I received financial support from my wife's family, and during my long public service career, my spouse took on the substantial roles of housework, child-rearing, savings, and real estate transactions, greatly contributing to the formation of our assets. Therefore, I considered all acquired property as marital shared property."

He further stated, "The housework that my spouse has solely managed for 35 years was the driving force that allowed me to devote myself to public service, and its value cannot be simply assessed by time and cost." He added, "If the judgment differs from tax law standards, I plan to take legal measures to avoid controversy."

Regarding the so-called ‘Jung Un-ho Gate’ case and allegations of lobbying by former prosecutor-general turned lawyer Hong Man-pyo, in which his name was mentioned, Park rebutted, "Jung Un-ho was thoroughly investigated and indicted according to law and principles," adding, "I never met or contacted lawyer Hong during the process, nor did I receive any improper requests or give undue orders."

On his relationship and connection with President Yoon Seok-yeol, he said, "When I worked as a prosecutor at Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, we were colleagues; when I was deputy chief prosecutor there, he was a chief prosecutor; and when I was head of Daegu High Prosecutors' Office, he was a prosecutor. We understand and trust each other but are not in frequent contact," drawing a clear line.

Regarding his connection with First Lady Kim Geon-hee, he stated, "I have seen her at the wedding and presidential inauguration ceremonies, but we do not have a personal friendship." In response to questions about guaranteeing a strict investigation by the prosecution into allegations of her receiving luxury handbags, he answered, "The prosecution will investigate fairly according to law and principles."

On the so-called ‘Geomsu Wanbak’ (complete removal of prosecutorial investigative authority), he said, "After the Criminal Procedure Act and Prosecutors' Office Act were amended without sufficient review, there were criticisms regarding delayed and inadequate investigations, gaps in crime response capabilities, and complicated criminal procedures." He added, "It is necessary to consider whether the prosecutor's prosecution function is not working properly or whether restricting the prosecutor's role in investigating major crimes results in weakening the protection of citizens' fundamental rights."

Park expressed a negative opinion on the Supreme Court's ongoing introduction of the face-to-face review system for search and seizure warrants and the conditional arrest warrant system. He said, "There is a possibility of violating the separation of powers and the principle of legality in criminal procedures, and there is a risk of leaking investigation secrets during the hearing process." He added, "It is difficult to prevent evidence destruction and there is a concern about retaliatory crimes."