Justice minister shortlist narrows to two Democratic lawmakers; opposition slams picks as 'shield' for Lee

The shortlist for justice minister — a post that has sat vacant for two months — has been narrowed to Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Rep. Park Gyun-taek and Rep. Yang Bu-nam, sources said, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition, which called the potential appointments a move to shield President Lee Jae Myung from legal jeopardy.

Both lawmakers are former senior prosecutors who have previously been involved in managing President Lee's legal exposure, critics said.

According to political sources Monday, Cheong Wa Dae is actively considering Park and Yang as the leading candidates for the next justice minister. The search was relaunched after former nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew last month amid allegations that he had lobbied for approval of a new drug clinical trial, and the pool has since been narrowed following a fresh review.

Both are first-term lawmakers aligned with the pro-Lee faction of the Democratic Party and hail from the Honam region, with senior prosecution careers behind them — Park served as chief prosecutor of the Gwangju High Prosecutors Office and Yang as chief prosecutor of the Busan High Prosecutors Office. Their selection is seen as reflecting a desire to appoint someone with deep familiarity with the prosecution system, given that the criminal justice structure was overhauled earlier this month with the abolition of the Prosecution Service and the launch of the new Public Indictment Office and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

However, both Park and Yang are expected to face controversy over political neutrality, given their past involvement in managing President Lee's legal exposure.

Park served as the Democratic Party's legal adviser when President Lee was party leader in 2022, acting as his defense counsel in cases involving the Baekhyeon-dong development allegations, the Seongnam FC sponsorship allegations and the inter-Korean funds transfer case. More recently, Park said a special prosecutor investigating allegations of fabricated indictments by prosecutors under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration should be granted the authority to drop charges.

Yang handled legal support work for Lee's presidential campaign in 2022 and later, as chair of the Democratic Party's legal committee, oversaw the party's overall response to President Lee's legal exposure.

People Power Party leaders went on the offensive as soon as the two names surfaced as finalists, calling the potential picks "appointments designed to shield President Lee from legal jeopardy."

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said at a supreme council meeting Monday that "when the court showed the judiciary is still alive" — a reference to the trial of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon — "President Lee and the Democratic Party were seized with fear," adding that the party was "scrambling to consider Park Gyun-taek and Yang Bu-nam, members of the charge-dismissal group, as justice minister candidates."

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik said he "cannot help but express deep concern" about the two names being floated for the post, calling them both "bodyguards for President Lee's legal risks." He added: "All of this is pointing toward a single goal — President Lee's political and judicial jailbreak."