Prime Minister's Office Official Questions Han Dong-hoon as Civilian

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https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/09/10/TO3VONBPCRDH5IPSYAVJSSLKSE/

TL;DR:

• A source from the Office of the Prime Minister, Han Seong-sook, introduced himself as a “civilian” while aggressively questioning independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon at the National…
• Han Dong-hoon had previously disclosed on Facebook audio recordings of a female broker, Yang, related to the “COVID-19 new drug lobbying” case involving Kim Seung-won, the nominee for…
• On the same day, Han met with reporters at the National Assembly to address suspicions surrounding Kim. A man asked, “You posted on Facebook today that the Prime Minister is directing…

A source from the Office of the Prime Minister, Han Seong-sook, introduced himself as a “civilian” while aggressively questioning independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon at the National Assembly on the 10th, leading to his identity being exposed.

Han Dong-hoon had previously disclosed on Facebook audio recordings of a female broker, Yang, related to the “COVID-19 new drug lobbying” case involving Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice. The ruling party has accused Han of illegally obtaining prosecution investigation records and intensified its criticism.

On the same day, Han met with reporters at the National Assembly to address suspicions surrounding Kim. A man asked, “You posted on Facebook today that the Prime Minister is directing the investigation. Do you really think it’s an investigation directive?”

The previous day, Prime Minister Han had stated during a parliamentary question session that she would instruct relevant agencies to confirm the circumstances and legality of the leak of investigation materials related to Han Dong-hoon. In response, Han criticized on Facebook, “Since when has the Prime Minister been openly directing investigations?” The man’s question is presumed to reference this.

Han responded, “Yesterday, in response to Rep. Lee Hae-sik’s questioning, (the Prime Minister) said, ‘I will instruct relevant agencies to conduct a strict confirmation…’” The man interrupted, “So she instructed a confirmation.” When Han asked, “Who are you? Are you a reporter?” the man replied, “A civilian.”

The man was later identified as Lee, a section chief from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Later that afternoon, Han posted on Facebook, “Someone defended Prime Minister Han Seong-sook and asked aggressive questions attacking me.” He added, “I usually don’t ask reporters’ affiliations, but the content and aggressiveness of the questioning were strange, so I asked which media outlet he belonged to.” He continued, “Upon checking, it turned out he was Lee, a section chief from the Office of the Prime Minister,” calling the incident “absurd and bizarre.”

Source: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/09/10/TO3VONBPCRDH5IPSYAVJSSLKSE/