The People Power Party criticized the appointment of Cho Won-cheol, the lawyer who handled the 'Daejang-dong development corruption allegations' defense for President Lee Jae-myung, as a 'judicial shield rewarded appointment.'
Park Min-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, noted in a commentary, 'Following the consecutive appointments of lawyers who handled the president's case, such as Lee Tae-hyung, Jeon Chi-young, and Lee Jang-hyung, they have also moved forward with vice-minister level appointments,' adding, 'Cho Won-cheol, who is representing in the Daejang-dong case, has been appointed as Minister of Legislation.'
He pointed out, 'In June, there was an attempt to appoint Lee Seung-yeop, the lawyer for the Daejang-dong case, as a constitutional court justice, but it fell through due to conflicts of interest,' adding, 'It is difficult to escape criticism over both the conflict of interest and the rewarding appointment.'
The spokesperson further stated, 'As ministerial nominees have been mired in past convictions and illegal allegations, there are even accusations that a 'government favoring criminals and their defense attorneys' is emerging,' questioning whether President Lee's ambition to evaluate based solely on ability and competence was merely a deceptive investigation.
He emphasized, 'The Minister of Legislation is one of the key positions responsible for the government's authoritative interpretation functions, effectively evaluated at a ministerial level,' questioning, 'Is it reasonable for a lawyer who defended the president against criminal allegations to take on the role of the legal team leader of the government who is supposed to act neutrally?'
President Lee was indicted in 2023 on charges of breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, violation of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act related to the Daejang-dong incident. He is accused of approving a structure for the Daejang-dong development project favorable to private operators during his time as the mayor of Seongnam, causing damages of 489.5 billion won to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation. There are also allegations that he leaked confidential information, allowing private operators to pocket 788.6 billion won.