President Lee mulls picking justice minister nominee from 2 prosecutor-turned-lawmakers

President Lee Jae Myung is mulling over selecting a justice minister nominee from between two prosecutor-turned-lawmakers after his previous pick for the post withdrew his candidacy last month over lobbying allegations, a source at the presidential office said Sunday.

Rep. Park Kyoon-taek and Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are the candidates that Lee is reviewing for justice minister, a source at Cheong Wa Dae told Yonhap News Agency.

“After a lengthy deliberation, Lee is reviewing the choice between Park and Yang. An official nomination is expected to be made soon,” the source said.

In a Cabinet reshuffle in late August, Lee nominated Rep. Kim Seung-won of the DPK to lead the justice ministry. A parliamentary confirmation hearing was held last month, but Kim withdrew his candidacy amid controversy over various allegations, including lobbying for a COVID-19 treatment drug.

Amid a two-month vacancy in the justice minister post, Lee is believed to be carefully reviewing the nomination while considering public sentiment.

Park and Yang, both first-term lawmakers in the DPK’s stronghold in the southwestern Honam region, formerly served as prosecutors.

Park is among a group of DPK lawmakers calling for dropping Lee’s criminal indictments, claiming they were brought by politically motivated prosecutors.

Yang was appointed a co-chief of the party’s legal affairs committee in 2022, when Lee was the head of the DPK, to manage Lee’s legal issues.