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The question of who supplied independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon with recordings has become the latest point of dispute in a political battle involving an alleged lobbying effort over approval for clinical trials of a COVID-19 drug candidate.

The Democratic Party has accused Han of engaging in what it called “cabinet dealing” as he repeatedly releases recordings connected to the allegations involving Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister. Debate has also focused on the identity and status of the person described as the source of Han’s information, a public-interest whistleblower.

Appearing on Dong-A Ilbo’s YouTube program “Please Take Care of Politics” on the 7th, Jung Kwang-jae of the Dongyeon Political Research Institute said that even if the material came from prosecution investigation records, the person who decided to disclose it through Han could potentially qualify for whistleblower protection.

“Even if we generously assume it was a prosecution investigation record, a person inside the prosecution who decided, ‘I should report this,’ could be considered a public-interest whistleblower,” Jung said. He added that South Korea operates a public-interest reporting system for matters considered socially valuable.

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Even if we generously assume it was a prosecution investigation record, a person inside the prosecution who decided, ‘I should report this,’ could be considered a public-interest whistleblower.