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South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a meeting at the national crisis center preparatory measures for Typhoon Lingling on Sept. 6. (provided by the Blue House)
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Amid preparations for Typhoon Lingling, S. Korea president deliberated heavily over decision
South Korean President Moon Jae-in returned on the afternoon of Sept. 6 from a six-day tour of Southeast Asia. As soon as he arrived, he went straight to work closely examining whether to proceed with the appointment of Minister of Justice nominee Cho Guk. President Moon arrived at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam at around 4:50 pm that day and headed straight to the Blue House without any separate events. Upon arriving at the Blue House, he visited the national crisis center to check on preparations for Typhoon Lingling. He also reportedly received a report from Chief of Staff Noh Young-min and senior secretaries on a National Assembly confirmation hearing that day for Cho and related opinion trends. “There was a report on the situation with Cho Guk’s hearing and the vetting situation, which President Moon hadn’t been able to attend to closely because of his travels,” explained a senior Blue House official. “It was a general report including things like Cho’s talk with reporters on Sept. 2, the situation with the prosecutors’ investigation, and recent opinion trends,” the official said. Moon also reportedly watched coverage of the National Assembly hearing, which continued late into the evening. In and around the Blue House, many were predicting Moon would go ahead with appointing Cho. A senior Blue House official cautioned that it was “impossible to predict what the President’s final decision will be,” but added, “I think Cho did a good job of addressing the allegations in the National Assembly hearing today like he did talking to reporters on Sept. 2.” “In particular, there haven’t been any revelations of crucial blemishes regarding the candidate himself, so there doesn’t look to be any real change in attitude in terms of appointing him,” the official said. Another Blue House official said, “No illegal or illegitimate actions on Cho’s part were proven during the National Assembly hearing.” “The chances of him being appointed look strong,” the official predicted. The accounts suggest that no faults were uncovered that would be seen as damaging enough for Moon – who is strongly committed to reforms with prosecutors – to withdraw his appointment of Cho, someone he named as the most suitable for the job despite the controversy associated with him. Moon went ahead with Cho’s nomination on Sept. 9. The day prior, a Blue House official explained, “President Moon set a deadline of Sept. 6 for the National Assembly to send a report on Cho’s confirmation hearing, but it appears likely that he’ll give the ruling and opposition parties time to discuss the report’s adoption an extra day on Sept. 7.” “If it weren’t for the National Assembly hearing, he would be deciding about the appointment on Sept. 7, but at the moment Sept. 8 looks to be the likely date,” the official added. Another Blue House official said President Moon “appears likely to observe opinion trends and the prosecutors’ investigation for a day or so after the hearing.” “We’ll also need to be preparing for Typhoon Lingling on Sept. 7,” the official noted. Public opinion on Cho heavily critical Public opinion on Cho is heavily critical, and a prosecutors’ investigation of unprecedented scope is adding to the factors forcing him to think long and hard about it. If prosecutors move to subpoena or indict relatives of Cho’s acquaintances shortly after Moon appoints him, he would face inevitable problems with carrying out his duties, regardless of the trial outcome. Further complicating the matter is the uneasy partnership between the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-yeol following Cho’s appointment. Various opinion polls show less than half the public supporting Cho’s appointment. The endless objections and extreme opposition tactics to come from the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and other conservative opposition parties are sure to weigh heavily on Moon after Cho’s appointment. In remarks that day, Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the LKP, predicted a “popular uprising” if Moon names Cho as minister of justice. “And the LKP will be part of that uprising,” she promised. An additional factor will be the decision of the Justice Party, which has ended up casting the deciding vote in past ministerial appointments. By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
