President Lee Jae-myung on the 30th named Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Seung-won as Minister of Justice nominee as part of a second-term Cabinet reshuffle. The People Power Party said the president had seated a former "Daejang-dong defense lawyer" at the helm of the Ministry of Justice, calling it "a declaration that he is launching a blitz to dismiss the indictment in President Lee Jae-myung's case." In particular, because Kim was a co-leader of the "Lawmakers' Group for Dismissal of Indictment and a National Inquiry (Gongchimo)," which is pushing for the dismissal of indictment in the president's criminal cases within the Democratic Party, the opposition's offensive is expected to intensify.
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok wrote on Facebook that afternoon, "President Lee Jae-myung has nominated lawmaker Kim Seung-won, a former defense lawyer in the Daejang-dong development scandal, as Minister of Justice. He was a co-leader of the so-called 'dismissal of indictment group,'" adding, "In the end, he picked a Minister of Justice who will take the lead to cancel his own trial."
Kim, a two-term lawmaker and former judge, is considered a hard-line prosecutorial reformist within the Democratic Party. He previously served as defense counsel for lawyer Nam Wook, known as the de facto owner of the corporation in the "Daejang-dong development corruption case." In January this year, Kim and Democratic Party lawmakers from Gyeonggi Province held a joint press conference and said, "The case against President Lee Jae-myung, which was fabricated and indicted by political prosecutors, must have the indictment dismissed immediately."
Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik said, "This reshuffle is far from saving people's livelihoods and confirms that the governing agenda in the second year in power is solely 'dismissal of indictment,' amounting to a terrorizing Cabinet shake-up of state affairs." He added, "Saying you will put current ruling party Legislation and Judiciary Committee secretary Kim Seung-won in as Minister of Justice is a 'declaration of entering a blitz for dismissal of indictment,'" and said, "To delete President Lee Jae-myung's trials, they intend to station at the minister's post the vanguard of a special counsel for dismissal of indictment."
Joo Jin-woo, a member of The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, also wrote on Facebook that day, "The public knows that running state affairs is on the back burner and that all he cares about is shielding Lee Jae-myung," adding, "This is a clear abuse of appointment power for private gain, and Lee Jae-myung's approval rating will plunge further."
On the economic team reshuffle, he also gave a harsh assessment, saying it was "a declaration that economic and real estate policies will not change." The president nominated current Ministry of Economy and Finance First Vice Minister Lee Hyeong-il as deputy prime minister for the economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance, and current Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) Second Vice Minister Hong Ji-hyeon as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee. Jang said, "By seating ministers who are obedient former bureaucrats as shields, the president is saying he will do as he pleases."