[Anchor]
Ruling party lawmaker Kim Seung-won has been nominated as the new Minister of Justice. A second-term lawmaker belonging to the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, he has also been active in pushing for a special counsel probe into allegations of fabricated indictments. The opposition party immediately criticized the nomination, calling it a vanguard for dismissing prosecutions.
Reporter Kwon Ji-yoon has the story.
[Reporter]
Six days after former Minister Jeong Seong-ho's resignation was accepted, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seung-won was chosen as the nominee for Minister of Justice.
Born in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and a former judge, nominee Kim Seung-won was listed as part of the defense counsel for a key figure in the Daejang-dong case in 2015, and currently serves as the secretary for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice: There will be various changes, such as the transformation of the criminal justice system for the first time in 70 years, and (I will do my best) to ensure they are well-implemented.]
The presidential office explained that the background for the personnel selection is the "stable settlement of the new criminal justice system," including the launch of the Prosecution Service in October.
Nominee Kim is the architect of the amended Criminal Procedure Act, which completely abolishes the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights, and is considered a leading hardliner in judicial reform.
His stance clearly differs from former Minister Jeong, who had expressed a "cautious approach" during the process of revising the Criminal Procedure Act.
[Jeong Seong-ho / Former Minister of Justice (on the 3rd): This is probably the first time the Criminal Procedure Act has been amended at the speed of light. No one can predict what side effects might arise or how properly it will function in the field.]
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice (on July 30, National Assembly Plenary Session): (The amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act) aims to not only effectively respond to crimes and strengthen the protection of public human rights, but also expand the procedural rights of crime victims.]
Nominee Kim also co-led the "Lawmakers' Group for the Dismissal of Prosecution and Promotion of a National Investigation in President Lee Jae-myung's Case," also known as "Gong-chwi-mo," and has been active in pushing for a related special counsel investigation.
[Kim Seung-won / Nominee for Minister of Justice (April 30): Now is the time for a special counsel. We must (prove) the truth that even political prosecutors will be punished if they do wrong.]
Regarding nominee Kim's nomination, the People Power Party poured out sharp criticisms, calling it "selecting a minister who will take the lead in canceling trials" and "the vanguard for a special counsel to dismiss prosecutions."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Edited by Park Seon-su)
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