DISPUTE SURROUNDING JUSTICE MINISTER

[Anchor Lead]

President Moon Jae-in formally appointed Cho Kuk as justice minister on September 9. Despite the prosecution's investigation into allegations surrounding Cho and his family and strong opposition from the opposition camp and voters, the president approved Cho's appointment, reiterating a commitment to complete his reform drive.

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After painstaking deliberation, President Moon Jae-in eventually chose to push forward with his initial choice for justice minister. He formally appointed Cho Kuk as justice minister a month after announcing a cabinet reshuffle plan.

[Soundbite] "Certificate of Appointment, Cho Kuk is hereby appointed to the position of justice minister and cabinet member."

The president spoke up about what he had agonized over the most. He was deeply concerned that the intense debate surrounding the justice minister could divide the people, but Moon decided to approve Cho's appointment, after concluding that maintaining principles and consistency is more important.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "It would be a bad precedent if Cho was not appointed when the allegations around him are not fully confirmed."

The South Korean leader reiterated the need to complete his drive to reform government agencies with excessive power. Moon emphasized the importance of keeping his campaign pledges, and one of the most important promises is to reform those in power. He added, after working hard to fulfill the campaign pledges and achieving good results since inauguration, the government has one important task left.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "The remaining task is to complete, legally and institutionally, the drive to guarantee political neutrality of government agencies and re-establish them as agencies serving the people."

The President reaffirmed his confidence in Cho as the right person to complete the reform drive of the country's judiciary and the prosecution. He promised to respond to the public call for the realization of equality and fairness, which was clearly expressed through a month-long dispute over Cho's nomination.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "I will also continue to reform systems that became the source of unfairness, which discourage the people."

The president presented certificates of appointment to six other ministerial-level officials, including Science Minister Choi Ki-young and Korea Communications Commission Chairman Han Sang-hyuk. He also raised questions about the efficiency of the parliamentary confirmation process, saying it is a stumbling block to selecting and recruiting competent people. The appointment of six ministers who failed to receive parliamentary hearing reports means now a total of 22 ministerial-level officials have been appointed without such approval since Moon took office.