New Presidential Secretary Han Chan-sik Tapped to Lead Prosecutorial Reform

SEOUL, June 21 (Yonhap) -- New presidential secretary for civil affairs Han Chan-sik, a former senior prosecutor and attorney, is expected to help steer the Lee Jae Myung administration's prosecutorial reform agenda, leveraging his deep knowledge of the prosecution service and legal affairs.

Han, 59, previously served as director-general of the Justice Ministry's Human Rights Bureau and chief prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office.

While serving as chief prosecutor, he led the investigation into allegations of a blacklist involving senior officials under the former liberal Moon Jae-in administration.

He resigned in 2019 ahead of the inauguration of Yoon Suk Yeol as prosecutor general, who later became president, and joined Kim & Chang, South Korea's largest law firm, as an attorney in August 2022.

Han is expected to focus on completing the administration's prosecutorial reform agenda ahead of the planned overhaul of the prosecution system in October, including the creation of separate agencies responsible for public prosecutions and criminal investigations.

Attention is also focused on whether Han can serve as a mediator amid differences between the ruling Democratic Party and the government over key reform issues, including whether prosecutors should retain supplementary investigative powers.