Ahn vows to donate W1.1 bil.
By Kang Seung-woo
Prime Minister-nominee Ahn Dae-hee said Monday that he would return all of his earnings from his legal services to society amid growing criticism that he benefited from his status as a former justice of the top court.
Ahn held a press conference at the government complex in Seoul and announced a plan to donate 1.1 billion won ($1.07 million) to ease condemnation before his National Assembly confirmation hearing. Ahn's nomination is subject to this.
"I am sorry that my earnings as a lawyer are creating a stir," Ahn said.
"I think the 1.1 billion won increase in my wealth over about one year is too much and I decided to donate this to society too."
In Korea, prosecutors and judges who become lawyers are more likely to win lawsuits thanks to their influence and connections with their incumbent former colleagues under the "jeongwanyeu" practice, which means giving special treatment to predecessors.
President Park Geun-hye tapped the former Supreme Court judge, Thursday, to replace Prime Minister Chung Hong-won as part of efforts to regain public trust in the government that was hit hard by its botched response to last month's sinking of the ferry Sewol.
However, the nominee is in hot water after being found to have earned 1.6 billion won ($1.5 million) as a lawyer between July and December last year.
"I had wanted to live a life without a single dot of shame, and I am sorry I was unable to do so," he said. "I will begin the reform with myself first. I will try to live a life for the sake of the nation and society with a mindset to devote everything."
Due to the increased wealth, the main opposition party is voicing disapproval toward his nomination, suspecting his excessively high earnings came from entrenched ill practices.
"Ahn was nominated as part of stamping out ill practices in our society following the Sewol disaster, but it goes against public sentiment that the nominee earned 1.6 billion won in just five months, or 10 million won a day," NPAD Co-Chairman Kim Han-gil told reporters.
"It is the severest jeongwanyeu that I have ever seen and it is the deep-rooted evil that President Park vowed to eliminate.
"I think the nomination for prime minister should be reconsidered."
Along with his earnings, the opposition party is taking issue with Ahn defending a company in a tax suit while at the same time serving as chief of the tax audit oversight committee under the National Tax Service.
"Park came up with Ahn in order to eradicate the bureaucratic mafia culture entrenched in officialdom, but it is questionable if he is fitted to do so," said NPAD lawmaker Choi Won-sik, in charge of the party’s strategy and promotion.
"It will be difficult for Ahn to pass the confirmation hearing and it should not happen."
Meanwhile, two out of five people positively assess the Ahn nomination, a public survey showed on Monday.
According to a poll conducted by cable news network YTN, 41.2 percent of 700 respondents were in favor of the nominee against 22.6 percent of disagreement.