The Innovation Party expressed concerns on June 21 regarding the appointment of Han Chan-sik as the new Chief of Civil Affairs, stating that there are significant worries ahead of the second phase of prosecutorial reform discussions.
Senior Spokesperson Park Byeong-eon commented in a statement titled "Concerns Over Han's Anti-Reform Background" that Han, during his tenure as the head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, prosecuted former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung and former Blue House secretaries Song In-bae and Shin Mi-sook in connection with the Moon Jae-in administration's "Ministry of Environment Blacklist" scandal.
Park emphasized that while the court found the defendants guilty, there were criticisms that the investigation had broadened the interpretation of personnel verification into an abuse of power from the outset.
He also noted that the individual responsible for the specific investigative work under Han's supervision was Joo Jin-woo, a former head of the Criminal Division 6, who is now a member of the People Power Party, and that Joo played a role in the establishment of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
Additionally, Park pointed out that while Han was the head of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, he had previously rejected a request to approve an emergency travel ban for former Justice Ministry Vice Minister Kim Hak-eui, who was under investigation for sexual misconduct, despite the request being made after the responsible official had acted swiftly to impose the ban.
He urged the government and the Democratic Party to confront public concerns regarding the revival of the previous practice of transferring cases and the retention of prosecutors' investigative powers, asserting that they must take the lead in achieving a complete separation of investigation and prosecution.
Meanwhile, Shin Jang-sik, acting leader of the party, also held a press conference on the same day, warning the Democratic Party that "prosecutorial reform must be completed before the Constitution Day" and that if it is postponed until after the party convention, the public will no longer tolerate delays.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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