High-ranking officials must not go overboard

On a visit to Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan on Friday, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon made some controversial remarks. After being questioned about provocative posts on Facebook by former Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Choi Kang-wook — such as his derogatory remarks about “the females,” highly suggestive of the first lady above all, and the following self-vindicative comment “This is democracy, stupid!” — the justice minister said, “If U.S. politicians use swear words at President Obama, they will be expelled from political circles permanently.”

Former Rep. Choi certainly deserves harsh criticism for his repeated slips of the tongue while showing no regret at all. The political outcast was even suspended from DP membership for six months again after the explosive comments online. But the reaction from the active justice minister is not appropriate, either.

Han did show a nuanced reaction to former DP leader Song Young-gil two weeks ago. Reacting to Song hurling insults at him by ridiculing his younger age, Han attacked Song for “degrading our politics only with a sense of moral superiority from his career as a democracy fighter.” Aiming at the majority party’s habitual move to impeach prosecutors who have been investigating corruptions of DP lawmakers, Han said that it is a high-ranking official that should be impeached for using his corporate credit cards to buy sushi for his family, referring to the case of DP leader Lee Jae-myung as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor. But if a senior government minister uses combative language regardless of the truth, it backfires.

The justice minister’s frequent trips to provincial regions also raise controversy about his possible bid for a legislative seat in the upcoming election. In his earlier visits to Daegu and Daejeon, Han said he would rather use the “general grammar,” not the twisted political narrative used in the legislature. He also gladly takes a photo with his supporters when needed. The justice ministry says it is just a part of the minister’s job to listen to voices from the field. But it could violate civil servants’ duty to keep political neutrality.

Land Minister Won Hee-ryong is no exception. He seems to be busy discussing key issues with the governing People Power Party (PPP), including a meeting with the chairman of the innovation committee. In August, he was even accused of violating political neutrality as a government minister. If this continues, urgent real estate measures and other issues directly linked to public livelihood cannot but be pushed aside. High-ranking government officials or presidential aides can run in the parliamentary election in April. But as long as they serve the government, they must be faithful to their current obligations.