- Civil Affairs Secretary Han Chan-shik was recommended by President Lee's legal acquaintances
- Part of the "Yoon line"? He is a senior colleague and resigned after Prosecutor General Yoon took office
- Evaluated as the right person with no major controversy in the legal circle
- "Investigation into the Moon Jae-in administration"? Is it a crime to investigate the living power?
- Rather, he has the grit, so we should expect him to speak bitter truths to the President
- Pro-Moon faction's suspicion of intent is merely a political interpretation
- Kim & Chang again? They gather talent well... even nicknamed "the mini government complex"
- Criticism of his prosecutor background? The Civil Affairs Secretary needs to understand the investigative agencies
- With the Prosecution Office and the Central Investigation Agency launching, not knowing could lead to being dragged along
- Mindful of dropping charges? The President seems to have a strong will, so we must wait and see
- Jung Sung-ho's voluntary resignation? Due to the discord between the party and the Blue House over "supplementary investigative power"
- He tried to play a role in the National Assembly, but the President told him to stay
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: Friday, July 3, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Kwon Young-chul, Legal Affairs Correspondent
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: A legal affairs correspondent's reporting notebook, unraveling stories while roaming Yeouido and Seocho-dong. "The Man Who Lives with the Law," or "Beopsanam" for short. Today, we are joined by Kwon Young-chul, former CBS senior correspondent. Hello.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Hello.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Correspondent Kwon, what is today's reporting notebook about?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: The Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs was replaced recently, and Han Chan-shik is the new Civil Affairs Secretary.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Former Chief of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, and then a former attorney at Kim & Chang.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Yes. Although it is a bit of past news now, why did the President choose Han Chan-shik as the Civil Affairs Secretary at this particular timing?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: There have been various speculations, right?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: I would like to focus on that story today.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: By the way, does Secretary Han have a personal relationship with the President? Since the President is also from a legal background.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: When I asked several legal professionals close to President Lee Jae-myung, they said there is no such personal friendship or connection.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then, through what channel was this personnel recommendation made?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: They say the recommendation came from his surroundings. But looking deeper into it, Kim & Chang also recommended him. Also, there are several close legal professionals, including close classmates of President Lee Jae-myung from the Judicial Research and Training Institute. It is said that the recommendation came from that group.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The President is from the 18th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, right? So, since he has legal networks, he was recommended by a legal network close to the President.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: First of all, what is the evaluation of Secretary Han in the prosecution and the legal circle? Because there are rumors that he is close to former President Yoon Suk-yeol, part of the so-called "Yoon Suk-yeol line," while others say, "What are you talking about? He stepped down when former President Yoon became Prosecutor General, so he is a victim." There are completely conflicting stories.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Generally, those considered part of the "Yoon Suk-yeol line" are junior to Yoon in the Judicial Research and Training Institute, or served under him when Yoon was a department director, deputy chief, or chief prosecutor.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Civil Affairs Secretary Han Chan-shik is two classes senior to Yoon.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then it's hard to call him part of that line.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: He is a senior. And he submitted his resignation and left when Yoon was appointed Prosecutor General. So, calling him part of the "line" is inappropriate. It doesn't seem right to label everyone who wore a prosecutor's robe as part of the Yoon Suk-yeol line.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Anyway, regarding Civil Affairs Secretary Han Chan-shik, there was an introductory post about him on the Kim & Chang website until July 1. Shall we take a quick look at the screen? It shows that he handled those types of crimes. It also evaluated that during his tenure as a prosecutor, he demonstrated professional expertise in special investigations by handling numerous large-scale corporate crimes, tax evasion, and trade secret leaks, and that he is well-versed in media relations. He also served as a spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: This is the introduction of then-attorney Han Chan-shik on the Kim & Chang website, which was there until recently. It has been removed now, right?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: When I checked yesterday (July 2), it was gone.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Of course, since he left and became the Civil Affairs Secretary, it should be gone.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Right. But anyway, when I asked his classmates from the Judicial Research and Training Institute and those who worked with him in the prosecution, they mostly said it is an appropriate appointment, that he has sufficient capability, and that he is the right person. Since he is a planning expert, he rarely gets involved in things that cause controversy through investigations. Of course, one thing is that during his time as the Chief of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, he led the investigation into the Ministry of Environment's blacklist under the Moon Jae-in administration, which led to some opposition from within the Democratic Party, especially the pro-Moon faction. Other than that, there is nothing particularly controversial, and nothing problematic came up during his vetting. That is why many say he is the right person appointed as the Civil Affairs Secretary.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But about that blacklist. Although he is called a planning expert, he is not a pure planning expert like former Deputy Prosecutor General Bong Wook. He is someone who did both investigations and planning.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Yes.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But when he was the Chief of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, he investigated the Ministry of Environment's blacklist under the Moon Jae-in administration and arrested former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung. Of course, that case eventually ended with a guilty verdict in the Supreme Court.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: The guilty verdict was finalized.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Since the guilty verdict was finalized, it wasn't a flawed investigation.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Exactly. When we criticize the prosecution, we often call them "lapdogs of power" because they let the living power off the hook and brutally investigate the dead power. But this was an investigation into the living power. And it wasn't done when Yoon Suk-yeol was Prosecutor General; Yoon was the Chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Han Chan-shik was the Chief of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office. They were separate entities. Also, this case started with the disclosure by Kim Tae-woo, an investigator in the Civil Affairs Secretary's special inspection team. Once such an issue arises, how can they not investigate?
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Once a disclosure is made, how can they cover it up?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Right. If we blame them for investigating, it is basically telling them, "Do not investigate the living power, remain a dog of power." So, I don't think that criticism is appropriate.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: People criticize that during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the investigation into Kim Keon-hee was not conducted properly, asking why they didn't touch the living power.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: But during the Moon Jae-in administration, which was in its early stages and thus powerful, they investigated it. Since they investigated when the power was strong, it is correct to evaluate that the prosecution played its role as a watchdog.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: And they were all found guilty.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: The guilty verdicts were finalized.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That is true. But politically speaking, those in the ruling party who are called the "pro-Moon faction" might feel emotionally uncomfortable. They might question, "Why on earth is the President appointing a former chief prosecutor, who once pointed a sword at us, as the Civil Affairs Secretary in this situation where we need prosecution reform? What is the President's true intention?" They could raise such political misunderstandings.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: On the contrary, we can evaluate him as having grit. He is a prosecutor with grit. He was intensively criticized by the ruling party back then, and even the Blue House personnel secretary at the time was found guilty. If he has the grit to investigate to that extent, we can hope that he can do the same to the President now. So, the criticism shouldn't be about him conducting the investigation. Rather, the criticism should be directed at the Yoon Suk-yeol administration for conducting all kinds of investigations for two and a half years just to target one person, President Lee Jae-myung. That is what actually deserves criticism.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: But this is not something to be criticized like that. Although the pro-Moon faction might wonder if there is some hidden intention, perhaps related to the recent party leadership race—and the political sphere can certainly talk like that—since we, as legal journalists, mainly criticize the practice of letting the living power off the hook while only targeting the dead power, we can probably view this as an issue that can be passed over.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes. But there are concerns within the ruling party, as you mentioned, the concern of "why him of all people." What did Secretary Han himself say about that? He probably said, "Don't worry."
▶ Kwon Young-chul: When I sent congratulations to Secretary Han, he replied that although he is lacking, he would faithfully perform his duties. However, he is not taking phone calls yet.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Really?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: It hasn't been long, so he might still be settling in. Actually, one of the key points is that while there was no Civil Affairs Secretary from Kim & Chang during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, we now have attorney Kim Ju-hyun from Kim & Chang as Civil Affairs Secretary, followed by Secretary Bong Wook, and now Secretary Han Chan-shik—all from Kim & Chang. There has been some criticism within the legal circle asking, "Why Kim & Chang again?" So, when I looked into why it had to be Kim & Chang again...
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: To be honest, whether it is a Democratic Party administration or a People Power Party administration, many people from Kim & Chang end up in high-ranking positions.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: They do. According to my coverage, Kim & Chang tends to pre-emptively recruit those who are considered top talents.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Kim & Chang itself has that tendency. They sweep up aces from the prosecution and the courts.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Not just from the prosecution and courts, but also from other government bodies. Back when I first started covering the legal sector, people used to call it the "Jongno Prosecutors' Office" because they took away key figures and former prosecutors. Nowadays, people call it the "mini government complex" or the "Jongno Government Complex." They recruit talented individuals from various ministries and then send them back as ministers or vice ministers. The more this happens, the stronger Kim & Chang's power becomes. They seem to have that kind of capability.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Also, one of the key differences is that when other small and medium-sized law firms take on a case, the names of individual attorneys are recorded on that case. For example, if they handled a Unification Church case or a Shincheonji case, their names remain. But since Kim & Chang works in teams, individual attorneys' names do not necessarily remain.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Also, if someone opens their own practice after a long career in special investigations, they often face criticism during vetting for making too much money. But at Kim & Chang, they receive a fixed salary, which helps them avoid such criticism. Some interpret it this way.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. But ruling party supporters still ask the fundamental question: "Why does it have to be someone from the prosecution?" Why do you think the President made this choice?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Actually, evaluations can differ because they didn't appoint someone from a non-prosecution background. During the Moon Jae-in administration, attorney Shin Hyun-soo from Kim & Chang served briefly, but most of the appointees were not from the prosecution. They had the attitude of "absolutely no prosecutors." It is similar to the logic of "not giving even a fingernail's worth of investigative power to prosecutors" today. However, the Civil Affairs Office mainly oversees investigative and regulatory agencies. It oversees the prosecution, police, National Intelligence Service, National Tax Service, and so on. Therefore, there must be some understanding of the investigative lines. If you put a former professor in that position, they might get dragged along due to a lack of understanding, or they might not be able to handle it at all.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: When you listen to former Civil Affairs Secretaries or other senior Blue House secretaries, they say it is no exaggeration to call the Civil Affairs Office "half of the Blue House."
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: The Civil Affairs Secretary?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: That means the role is that significant, and there is that much work to do.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then, is the logic that they must use someone from the prosecution because one needs to know the prosecution well to properly carry out prosecution reform?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Exactly. We need to carry out prosecution reform now, and the Prosecution Office and the Central Investigation Agency are launching. If you put someone who doesn't understand the issues of investigation and prosecution in that seat, they could easily become an armchair theorist.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Then, regardless of how the system runs, they are highly likely to be dragged along by those agencies. So, they need to take the lead.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But the opposing view is suspicious, wondering, "Aren't they sending people who know the prosecution well to seize control of it and ultimately drop the charges?" What do you think about that?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: On that point, President Lee Jae-myung's will is extremely strong. Let's listen to what he said during the Cabinet meeting on June 2, 2026.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Shall we?
[President Lee Jae-myung / During the Cabinet meeting on June 2, 2026]
"(The prosecution) is going through a lot, and I appreciate that they are delivering results despite that. Also, they must not fall into the trap of infallibility. Anyone can make a mistake. If you make a mistake, you apologize and cancel it. It is the same for any agency."
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Right, "the same for any agency." Although it is a very common-sense statement, the impact of the President throwing those words out can actually be significant.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Especially on the prosecution.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Not just the prosecution. When legal professionals hear it, they interpret it as, "What is the intention behind those words?" and attacks immediately came from the political sphere. In fact, some analyses suggest that such remarks were the cause of defeats in highly competitive areas like Seoul, Daegu, and Gyeongnam during the recent local elections.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: President Lee Jae-myung didn't just say it then. He also made similar remarks during his 1st anniversary press conference on June 8, 2026, emphasizing the need for at least finding the truth. He said, "We just need to act according to the law and common sense. If there is something wrong, we correct it; if it is not wrong, we leave it as is; and if there is something being covered up, we must reveal it. According to the law and common sense, if it is wrong, we cancel it, and if it is not wrong, we let it go. Which of those is it? At the very least, we must find the truth."
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Making these remarks ultimately aligns with what the ruling party is claiming—that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration conducted investigations around President Lee Jae-myung throughout its term and filed a Distorted indictment. That is why they are saying a special counsel investigation is needed. When it comes to finding the truth, from the President's perspective, the easy way would be to mobilize the prosecution and police under his command, but wouldn't a special counsel recommended by the National Assembly be better than that? So, he suggested that it should be done through a special counsel.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: So, from that perspective, appointing former prosecutors like Han Chan-shik and Bong Wook as Civil Affairs Secretaries might have been done with that in mind. This part is necessary due to the institutional changes like the Prosecution Office and the Central Investigation Agency, and it could also align with the President's will to at least find the truth. We need to wait and see on this.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Minister Jung Sung-ho didn't resign, but there were rumors of his voluntary resignation. Rumors have circulated that he expressed his intention to resign, but the President did not accept it. How about that? Is it true?
▶ Kwon Young-chul: I heard directly from Minister Jung Sung-ho. He said he felt he had reached a limit in his role as the Minister of Justice. The reason this came up is, as mentioned earlier, the President said that supplementary investigative power should be left, even if limited. As you mentioned earlier, Anchor Kim.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
▶ Kwon Young-chul: Despite that, the Democratic Party is talking about a complete abolition right away, so there isn't much for the Minister of Justice to do in between. He said it is true that he discussed with several people that he might need to go to the National Assembly to play his role, but he ended up staying because the President told him to remain. This implies that there seems to be some discord between the current atmosphere of the Democratic Party and the Blue House. He also hinted that if Minister Jung Sung-ho, who is called the leader of the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, goes to the National Assembly, he might have a role to play in keeping things centered.
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I see. We will wrap up here today. That was Kwon Young-chul, former CBS senior correspondent. Thank you.
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