'Friendship with President Lee not a disqualifying factor'

'Never knew anything about Daejang-dong project, then or now'

Lee Yong-cheol, nominated as justice minister, answers reporters' questions as he arrives at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday. [Yonhap]
Lee Yong-cheol, nominated as justice minister, answers reporters' questions as he arrives at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday. [Yonhap]

Lee Yong-cheol, the nominee for justice minister, said Monday that the special prosecutor investigating alleged fabricated indictments should now focus solely on uncovering the truth — remarks widely interpreted as leaving open the possibility of withdrawing charges against President Lee Jae Myung in his criminal cases.

Lee, who currently serves as head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, made the comments to reporters as he arrived at the DAPA office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, at around 8:40 a.m. Asked how he would respond to the controversy over withdrawing the charges, he said, "The president has said the special prosecutor should concentrate only on finding the truth, and the National Assembly enacted the special prosecutor act accordingly," adding that he believed that was the right course.

It was the first time Lee had publicly stated his position since being nominated as justice minister on Friday. He plans to continue working at DAPA through Wednesday before moving to a confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the newly constructed Seoul Immigration and Foreign Residents Office building in the legal district of Songpa-gu, Seoul, starting Thursday.

Lee is a legal professional who served as presidential secretary for civil affairs and legal affairs under the Participatory Government before becoming the inaugural vice commissioner of DAPA. He also served as the managing partner of the law firm where President Lee had worked. After President Lee was elected mayor of Seongnam, the nominee joined the mayoral transition committee and served as president of the Seongnam Industry Promotion Foundation in 2011. He later practiced as a notary specialist before being appointed DAPA commissioner last year. Legal and political circles have described his nomination as a surprise pick, noting that he has no experience at the Ministry of Justice or the prosecution service — now reorganized as the Public Prosecution Service — and had not been mentioned as a candidate. That background has prompted speculation that the nomination is a stepping stone toward withdrawing the criminal charges against President Lee.

Lee said he did not believe his long personal ties and friendship with President Lee constituted a disqualifying factor for the justice minister post. "It would be a problem if someone were appointed solely on the basis of personal connections, with no regard for expertise, judgment or qualifications — but if that is not the case, a close relationship with the president has been a common feature of many previous ministers," he said.

Lee also faces allegations that during the 2010 appointment process for Yoo Dong-gyu, the former head of planning at the Seongnam Facilities Management Corporation, he gave Yoo unusually high marks. Opposition figures have seized on this to claim that Lee was a hidden architect of the Daejang-dong development scandal.

On this, Lee said he knew nothing about the Daejang-dong project then or now. "Yoo's appointment was in 2010, and at the time the Seongnam Facilities Management Corporation had no connection whatsoever to the Daejang-dong project," he said. "Yoo briefly left his position and was later reappointed, but I had no involvement in that reappointment process," he added.

Lee also took the initiative to address a report published Monday in which Yoo allegedly claimed that Lee liked poker and alcohol and would carry out President Lee's orders without hesitation.

"This morning, through a Chosun Ilbo article, I learned that Yoo Dong-gyu made highly malicious and defamatory statements about me," Lee said. "He claims we gambled together with large sums of money at stake. I cannot help but ask whether it is reasonable for someone to remember in such specific detail — as if it happened yesterday — exactly which restaurant and exactly how many millions of won were wagered in an event from more than a decade ago." He added, "I have never engaged in high-stakes gambling beyond casual recreation with family or friends."

Lee also said, "Yoo claimed I am someone who carries out the president's orders without hesitation. I would ask him to provide even a single example of me doing so."

The justice minister post has been vacant since former Minister Jeong Seong-ho held a farewell ceremony and stepped down on Aug. 26. Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Seung-won had previously been nominated but withdrew after a series of allegations emerged, including a lobbying scandal involving a new drug. The seat remained empty even as the criminal justice system underwent a sweeping overhaul — the prosecution service was abolished on Oct. 2 and replaced by the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service.

Legal circles have raised questions about whether Lee is the right person to oversee the early stabilization of the Public Prosecution Service during this period of upheaval in the criminal justice system. The concern is whether someone whose experience predates the current framework by more than 20 years — a system that has changed beyond recognition — can grasp the operational details of the new structure and minimize harm to the public.

Critics have also pointed out that Lee has little experience in justice administration and spent most of his legal career on notarial work, making him a poor fit for the substantive demands of the justice minister role.

Lee pushed back on those concerns. "Although some time has passed, I was involved at the very start of prosecution reform and dealt extensively with many issues in judicial reform as well. Thirty years as a legal professional, combined with the administrative experience of running a large organization like DAPA, should be more than enough to make up for any gaps," he said. "Where I fall short, I will listen with humility."


bell@heraldcorp.com