Ko Min-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is aligned with the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, said on the 22nd regarding the appointment of Han Chan-sik as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, "The presidential office should not take party members' voices lightly." During the Moon Jae-in administration, Han led a search and seizure of the presidential office while investigating the Environment Ministry blacklist case.
Ko said on Facebook the same day, "I know better than anyone how many people suffered because of the Environment Ministry blacklist case," and stated accordingly.
Ko said, "Personnel appointments are not a matter of right or wrong but a matter of responsibility. There were similar criticisms during the tenure of Choi Dong-seok as head of the Ministry of Personnel Management, and this is the same," adding, "The senior presidential secretary for civil affairs not only oversees law enforcement agencies such as the prosecution, police, and the National Intelligence Service, but also handles vetting of senior public officials, corruption inspections of the president's relatives and other close aides, and the discipline of public officials."
She continued, "Whether Han conducted the investigation to bring down those in power, or whether Han thoroughly investigated without fear or favor is something Han knows best," adding, "In any case, as a prosecutor during the Moon Jae-in administration, Han judged the Moon administration's personnel appointments to be crimes."
Ko also said, "Knowing this and still proceeding with the appointment of Han Chan-sik suggests the Lee Jae-myung administration's confidence," adding, "It seems they determined that abolishing the supplementary investigation authority is irreversible. If it cannot be designed into the system, they chose someone who knows the inner workings well so that law enforcement agencies can keep each other in check and maintain balance, even through people."
She added, "The presidential office should not try to control the party, and the party should support the presidential office's policy agenda through legislation. But the reality is the exact opposite," saying, "The presidential office should not take the voices of party members lightly, and the party should respect the president's personnel appointments."
Han is a former prosecutor who served as chief of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office and the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, and most recently worked as an attorney at Kim & Chang. In particular, while serving as chief of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, Han led a search and seizure of the presidential office during the investigation into the Moon Jae-in administration's Environment Ministry blacklist case. As a result, some among the ruling camp's supporters are voicing opposition to Han's selection.