Lee Yong-cheol, a non-prosecutor, surprises as justice minister pick

President Lee Jae-myung carried out a sweeping round of appointments on Sunday, naming Defense Acquisition Program Administration chief Lee Yong-cheol — who did not come up through the prosecutors' office — as justice minister nominee and appointing Seoul Regional Tax Office head Ahn Deok-su as commissioner of the National Tax Service. The justice minister nominee post had stood vacant for about 48 days since former nominee Kim Seung-won's candidacy fell through on September 19. President Lee is said to have recently narrowed his shortlist to two Democratic Party lawmakers, Park Keui-tae and Yang Bu-nam, before abruptly pivoting to the 'third option,' Mr. Lee. Mr. Lee was a figure barely mentioned during the entire process that stretched from the departure of former Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho in August until Mr. Kim's nomination collapsed.

The People Power Party immediately labeled Mr. Lee as part of the 'Seongnam line' after his nomination, issuing a statement probing his alleged ties to the Daejang-dong development scandal. The core of the opposition's suspicions is that Mr. Lee, as a member of an executive recommendation committee, gave high marks when Yoo Dong-gyu was hired as planning director of the Seongnam Urban Corporation years ago.

Presidential Chief Secretary Lim Kwang-hyun, announcing the appointments, described Mr. Lee as "the right person to quickly establish the new criminal justice system and implement fair legal administration." On the suspicions surrounding the Daejang-dong case, he replied, "That aspect was taken into account during the vetting process, and he will explain himself at the confirmation hearing." Regarding Ahn Deok-su, Chief Secretary Lim said the expectation is that "he will relentlessly track down hidden assets and realize tax justice."

The appointment will be finalized after Mr. Lee goes through a National Assembly confirmation hearing.