Published : Jan. 25, 2015 - 21:34
Prime minister nominee Lee Wan-koo on Sunday kicked off preparations for his confirmation hearing at the parliament, after President Park Geun-hye nominated him to become her top deputy last week.
Among the issues expected to be discussed at the hearing are allegations concerning Lee and his son’s military duty exemptions, a crime committed by his brother and questions about a piece of land Lee gave his son in 2011.
Shortly after his nomination on Friday, local media accused his son of wrongful exemption from military service. Lee himself was discharged from military service after serving only one year, apparently due to an ankle condition.
Lee held a press conference the following day to show X-rays of the injury that led to his son’s exemption. On Sunday, Lee also said he was ready to address allegations of misdeeds concerning his and his son’s mandatary military duty.
“If needed, I can even publicly have him take an MRI or X-ray. My son told me he is ready to comply with any demands to settle this issue,” he said.
Prime minister nominee Lee Wan-koo. (Yonhap)
While the accusation is likely to be a major issue in the hearings, observers expressed optimism about Lee’s chances of surviving the hearing since National Assembly members tend to go relatively easy on fellow lawmakers.
The reaction from opposition lawmakers to Lee’s nomination has also been fairly benign. Rep. Moon Hee-sang, the leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, vowed a thorough grilling of the candidate, but added that Lee’s competence as politician had “already been proven” and that he could play a significant role right away if he was confirmed.
The NPAD, however, criticized the ruling party for helping Lee prepare for the hearing, saying the Saenuri should also join efforts to evaluate Lee’s qualifications for the post.
Shin Yul, a politics professor at Myeongji University, said that Lee’s nomination may have been an attempt by Park to seek an “easy way out.”
Last year, Park’s bid to replace Prime Minister Chung Hong-won ended in failure after her appointments of both Ahn Dae-hee and Moon Chang-keuk fell through. After the nomination debacle, Park decided to retain Chung.
“She (Park) would not have wanted another fiasco like Moon and Ahn. Former politicians tend to have it easy in hearings, as they are ‘colleagues’ (of lawmakers),” he said.
But appointing an incumbent ruling party lawmaker is problematic, Shin pointed out. Currently both deputy prime ministers for social and economic affairs are Saenuri lawmakers, which means the top three Cabinet positions may be filled by members of the president’s party.
“The Saenuri Party already holds a majority in the National Assembly and if they (Saenuri lawmakers) also get hold of administrative positions, checks and balances will be virtually impossible. Birds of a feather flock together,” he said.
Early Sunday, Saenuri officially accepted Lee’s resignation as the floor leader and he was briefed by officials of the prime minister’s office. His confirmation hearing is expected to be held early next month.
By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)