hankyoreh

President Yoon Suk-yeol takes part in an event at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2020, while he was serving as prosecutor general. On his left is Han Dong-hoon, who was head of the anti-corruption and violent crimes department at the time. (Hankyoreh file photo)

President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed Han Dong-hoon as minister of justice on Tuesday.

Although the ruling and opposition parties could not agree on the adoption of the necessary confirmation hearing reports, as soon as the Monday deadline for the retransmitting the hearing progress report had passed, Yoon rubber-stamped Han’s appointment as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment.

What is surprising, however, is that Yoon earnestly asked the opposition party for across-the-aisle cooperation several times in his speech to the National Assembly just a day prior.

In fact, Yoon emphasized that the “seriousness of the crises and challenges we are facing requires more than ever stronger bipartisan cooperation that transcends camps and factions.”

After calling for closer cooperation with the other side, Yoon walked over to several opposition party lawmakers and shook their hands with a smile.

However, things looked very different the very next day with Yoon's decision to appoint a nominee that the opposition strongly disapproves of. This move can be seen as a declaration that he himself will not cooperate.

It is basic common sense that the president, who is the most powerful person in the country, must reach out to the opposition party first in order to enable bipartisan cooperation. Without cooperation from the opposition party, it is difficult to pass bills in the National Assembly, especially in such cases when the ruling party is the minority party, which is the current situation for the Yoon government.

Given these circumstances, it would have been more reasonable for the ruling party to reconsider the appointment of a candidate that the opposition had pointed to as “the biggest obstacle to cooperation.”

Han has also been the subject of various allegations and controversies. In particular, he has never given a clear explanation or sincere apology regarding allegations about his daughter’s exaggerated extra-curricular activities for the purpose of seeking admission to a US university. Even at his confirmation hearing, he maintained an arrogant attitude and did not seem to think the allegations were cause for such fuss.

Moreover, there has also been concern that Han’s appointment would result in the country becoming a “prosecutor’s republic,” given Han’s long personal relationship with Yoon as one of his closest confidants.

Regardless of such concerns, however, Yoon has already appointed a series of former prosecutors to positions within his office, such as the vice-minister of government legislation, vice-minister of justice, and now even justice minister.

Due to the strained relationship between the ruling and opposition parties, it is unclear whether the supplementary budget bill, which is an urgent issue directly affecting the livelihoods of the public, will be promptly dealt with. Another issue is whether Han Duck-soo, Yoon’s nominee for prime minister, will be confirmed by the National Assembly at the plenary session on Friday.

We express our strong regret over the appointment of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, which was made without cooperation and with indifference to the expectations of the public.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]