The search for a justice minister, a post vacant for two months, has narrowed to two candidates: Rep. Park Kyoun-taek of Gwangju's Gwangsan-A district and Rep. Yang Boo-nam of Gwangju's Seo-B district, both of the Democratic Party of Korea, according to people familiar with the matter. Both are first-term lawmakers from the Honam region who previously served as chiefs of high prosecutors' offices, and both oversaw legal support for President Lee Jae-myung when he led the party.
A Presidential Office official said on the 25th that Lee is seriously considering Park and Yang for the justice minister post. The Presidential Office has been reviewing candidates from scratch since Rep. Kim Seung-won of the Democratic Party, named as the justice minister nominee in the Aug. 30 cabinet reshuffle, withdrew over allegations that he lobbied for approval of a clinical trial for a new drug. Given the public backlash surrounding that withdrawal, Lee is expected to gauge public sentiment carefully before naming his final pick.
Both finalists are former high prosecutors' office chiefs aligned with Lee. With the newly launched Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Office still finding their footing, the thinking appears to be that a veteran who knows the prosecution service inside out is needed to lead the ministry and help the new bodies settle in quickly.
Park, a member of the 21st class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, served as head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, as the first director-general of the ministry's prosecution bureau under the Moon Jae-in administration, and as chief of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office. As a special legal adviser to Lee during his tenure as Democratic Party leader, Park defended him in cases involving the Baekhyeon-dong development, Seongnam FC and remittances to North Korea.
Yang, from the 22nd class of the institute, served as head of the third special investigation division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and chief of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office. Having investigated major cases including the Daegu subway arson attack and hiring irregularities at Kangwon Land, he was floated as a leading contender for prosecutor general under the Moon administration. In 2022, when Lee was party leader, Yang headed the party's legal affairs committee and oversaw its response to the legal risks facing Lee.
Both lawmakers back the government and ruling party's broader push to separate investigation from prosecution, yet both have been cautious about abolishing prosecutors' supplementary investigation powers. Park has argued that keeping those powers is necessary "to protect the rights of citizens who have been wronged," while Yang has maintained that prosecutors should retain "at least the right to request supplementary investigation."
The opposition is expected to push back hard regardless of which candidate is chosen. Park's direct role in defending Lee could raise questions about his impartiality in office. In Yang's case, allegations of an irregular property gift that drew scrutiny during the general election campaign could resurface. The opposition is likely to argue in particular that both picks are aimed at withdrawing the charges against the president.
Still, with two months having passed since former Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, the administration's first, left office on Aug. 26, officials inside the Presidential Office expect Lee to reach a decision before long.