Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon said in response to criticism from the Democratic Party and others regarding the seizure and search of Rep. Choi Kang-wook, "I don't think it's normal for the perpetrator to blame the victim."

Minister Han Dong-hoon replied to a reporter's question about the seizure and search of Rep. Choi Kang-wook on his way out after attending the unveiling ceremony of the Chunghon Tower at the Seoul Southern Correctional Facility today (5th), saying, "The MDP and MBC blame me a lot."

"I have not reported or filed a complaint in connection with the incident," Han said, adding, "I understand that this is an investigation that the police are executing under a court warrant."

Earlier, the Seoul National Police Agency's Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Division seized Rep. Choi Kang-wook's mobile phone and the office of the National Assembly Speaker this morning in connection with an alleged leak of personal information by a minister.

Rep. Choi was involved in the leak of a minister's personnel hearing data.

On the 30th of last month, the police conducted a search of the residence of MBC reporter Lim Mo, the MBC office in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and the National Assembly Secretariat.

The minister's remarks are interpreted as a reference to the MDP's comments on Rep. Choi's seizure and search today.

Commenting on the seizure and search of Rep. Choi, MDP chief spokesman Kwon Chil-seung criticized, saying, "How can the personnel hearing materials of a candidate for the Minister of Justice be personal information?"

"Minister Han is an inviolable sanctuary, and his personnel hearing materials are privileged information," he said, adding, "Isn't the suppression of MBC and Rep. Choi the essential goal?"

After the seizure and search last month, the MBC press association issued a statement calling it a "clear overreach," saying, "If it weren't for the information about a minister, if it weren't for the MBC reporter, would it be a matter for the seizure and search?"

Han also refuted the Democratic Party's Prosecutors' Committee for the Repression of Dictatorial Politics yesterday, calling it a "false claim" that Han should "normalize the system of sending prosecutors, which has turned into a privileged playground."

One minister said, "In the past, there were a lot of people from certain groups or biased political groups in a situation where outsiders were used to exclude public officials."

(Photo=Yonhap News)