▲ Han Byung-do, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, defended the cabinet reshuffle announced the previous day as "a pragmatic placement of talent centered on expertise and field experience," and pushed back against the People Power Party on the 31st, saying the opposition "is branding nominees before confirmation hearings have even been scheduled." When the opposition took issue with the nominations of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in, Han sharpened his tone, saying the opposition "intends to drag the hearings into partisan strife." Kim led a group that pushed for withdrawing the indictment of President Lee Jae-myung, while Yong won a proportional-representation seat twice through satellite parties. Han's pledge to "thoroughly verify their competence and qualifications at the level the public expects" must be kept.
▲ In the results of a regular audit of the Supreme Court released on the 31st, the Board of Audit and Inspection said the National Court Administration paid a combined 1.299 billion won in encouragement bonuses without any legal basis to Supreme Court justices and the head of the court administration over three years starting in 2022. Detecting improper budget spending is the audit board's rightful duty. Still, it is curious that the results of a regular audit, which had not been conducted since 2021, were disclosed at precisely the moment the Supreme Court was clashing with the presidential office over the nomination of Supreme Court justices. The audit board says this audit was decided early last year, so it must be nothing more than coincidence.
