On May 17, President Yoon Suk-yeol (Yoon Seok-youl) pushed ahead with his appointment of Han Dong-hoon as minister of justice, showing that he was willing to face a political standstill. The president appears to have made the decision because the newly appointed justice minister, Han symbolizes his first cabinet as the president’s closest confidant. A confrontation between hardline ruling and opposition parties in the early days of the new government seems inevitable. The confirmation of prime minister nominee Han Duck-soo, the parliamentary review of the supplemental budget, and the June 1 local elections will now be sucked into the aftermath of Han Dong-hoon’s appointment.

The office of the presidential spokesperson did not provide any explanation when announcing the appointment of Han. An official from the presidential office said over the phone, “The Yoon Suk-yeol government has emphasized uninterrupted state administration, and there was a need to quickly appoint the minister amidst the chaos in judicial administration due to the legislation stripping prosecutors of investigative authority.”

This has been accepted has President Yoon’s declaration of no compromise. The president approved the appointment of Justice Minister Han, whom the Democratic Party of Korea cited as the top candidate to knock down, as prime minister nominee Han Duck-soo faces challenges in the parliamentary confirmation process. The president practically tore down any bridge for negotiations with the latest appointment. The Democratic Party is demanding the withdrawal of Han’s appointment as a prerequisite to the confirmation of the prime minister and as a sign showing the president’s willingness for governance. Challenges are also expected when the National Assembly takes a vote on May 20.

President Yoon’s strong trust in Han Dong-hoon probably affected his decision to push ahead with the appointment. President Yoon has publicly expressed his trust in Han since his days as a presidential candidate. Even when nominating his first justice minister, he made the bold choice of Han, who was in the Judicial Research & Training Institute seven classes later than Kim Oh-soo, the prosecutor general at the time. The Democratic Party failed to gather enough support to dismiss Han in the parliamentary confirmation hearing, and this seems to have affected the president’s quick appointment.

Han Dong-hoon is virtually the representative of the “Yoon Suk-yeol Division” in the Prosecution Service and has been cited as his key card in controlling law enforcement agencies. With the appointment of Han as the justice minister, the People Power Party and the government’s control of the Prosecution Service is expected to gain speed. More than a few experts expect Minister Han to try and rebuild the Yoon Suk-yeol Division.

The government is expected to strengthen its response to the latest amendments reducing the authority of prosecutors. If Han exercises his authority to launch a permanent special prosecutor to investigate allegations surrounding Daejang-dong, it could further shake the political situation.

The appointment of Han symbolizes more than just the appointment of a minister. Han’s appointment is directly related to the president’s political assets. When President Yoon clashed with the Democratic Party and the government on the Cho Kuk incident when he was prosecutor general, Han was the one who led the investigation. President Yoon announced his entry into politics using “hardline prosecutors who suffered under the Moon Jae-in government” as fuel.

When Yoon was a presidential candidate, he referred to Han as “a man who practically engaged in an independent movement while suffering in this (Moon Jae-in) government.” When explaining the reason for his choice of Han as the justice minister, the president wrote, “He also put in hard work and effort to uphold justice and reason against all kinds of pressure.”

It appears the “bipartisan cooperation,” which the president stressed when he addressed the National Assembly, will not be likely for the time being. Many experts see a deadlock in politics inevitable with the June 1 local elections approaching. Tensions are likely to heighten over the review and approval of the supplemental budget as well. If the standstill lasts for a prolonged period of time, the Yoon Suk-yeol government will also face trouble in executing its state tasks through legislation in a National Assembly where the opposing Democratic Party still holds the majority.

The Democratic Party (spokesperson Shin Hyun-young) argued, “The president has pushed aside communication and cooperation with the opposition party far away.” An official from the presidential office said, “Governance is a value that requires the engagement of the entire National Assembly, and not just the Yoon Suk-yeol government.”