Defense Minister Nominee Lee Yong-chul Says He 'Doesn't Know Much' About Daejang-dong Allegations, Stalls on Question of Withdrawing President's Indictment
President Lee Jae-myung nominated Lee Yong-chul, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, as justice minister on the 6th, but the nominee has put off answering allegations raised by the opposition about 'indictment withdrawal' (the process by which prosecutors retract a case already referred to trial) until after his confirmation hearing. The opposition claims the nomination is intended to pave the way for withdrawing the indictment against the President in his ongoing trial. In a phone call with the Hankyoreh on the 8th, the nominee declined to give individual answers, saying, "I will give an organized answer at the confirmation hearing or during that process."
He rebuffed the opposition's campaign painting him as the 'hidden architect of Daejang-dong,' saying, "Then and now, I don't know much about the Daejang-dong project." The opposition's attack stems from the fact that the nominee served on the executive recommendation committee that recommended Yoo Dong-gyu as head of the Seongnam City Facility Management Corporation. However, his side explained that he became a recommendation committee member in 2010, when the facility management corporation was an agency that oversaw parking lots, sports facilities, and volume-based waste bags, among other things. The Daejang-dong project began in 2014, when the facility management corporation was reorganized into a urban development corporation. The nominee emphasized, "It doesn't match timing-wise, nor in terms of the scope of work." He denied any connection, saying he was not a recommendation committee member when Yoo, after stepping down as head of the facility management corporation, returned as head of the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation. The nominee said, "The only thing I know about Daejang-dong is that it is an administrative district of Seongnam City."
He countered criticism of his lack of criminal case experience with examples. The nominee asserted, "If it were a position choosing the prosecutor general, I might understand, but isn't a lawyer's career sufficient? On top of that, I was the first to start prosecutorial reform." He also cited the fact that former Justice Minister Park Sang-ki, a criminal law professor rather than a lawyer, performed his duties well.
This line of argument is an extension of the statement he issued immediately after his nomination on the 6th. At the time, he released a statement to the effect that he was expected to draw on his experience as legal affairs secretary to the President under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, where he handled the adjustment of investigative powers between prosecutors and police, to complete prosecutorial reform and help the revised criminal justice system take root.
