The police launched an investigation into the case where Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was accused of abuse of power after nominating candidates for constitutional judges.
A Korean National Police Agency official said at a regular press briefing on the 28th, "We received a related accusation on the 10th and are currently conducting necessary investigations, including analysis of related materials, according to procedures at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit," adding, "At this stage, we have requested various materials from the National Assembly."
Previously, Acting Prime Minister Han nominated Lee Wan-kyu, the Minister of Legislation, and Ham Sang-hoon, a judge at the Seoul High Court, as successors to Moon Hyung-bae, the acting former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.
Then, the organization "Emergency Action for a Resolution to the Coup and Social Reform," which has been pushing for the resignation of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, accused Acting Prime Minister Han of abuse of power for nominating two candidates for constitutional judges, which are reserved for the president. This case was assigned to the Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
In addition, Kim Jeong-hwan, a lawyer at the law firm Dodam, filed a request for a suspension of the effect of the appointment of judges against Acting Prime Minister Han. The Constitutional Court unanimously accepted the request on the 16th, temporarily suspending the effectiveness of the nominations of Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sang-hoon.
The official noted that regarding the possibility of requiring Acting Prime Minister Han's attendance, "We plan to check the materials and conduct the investigation according to principles," adding, "It is not the time to say whether we will conduct summons investigations or not."
In response to a question about whether the investigation would be affected if Han Duck-soo, accused of rebellion, runs for president, the police officer only answered, "The investigation is still ongoing."