The National Assembly's "superweek" of seven Cabinet confirmation hearings kicked off Monday, with the main opposition People Power Party vowing to push out embattled nominees.
This comes as President Lee Jae Myung's picks continue to add pressure on the administration despite beleaguered Gender Equality Minister nominee Rep. Yong Hye-in's resignation on Sunday. In announcing her resignation, Yong claimed that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea had asked her to "make a decision," citing lack of public acceptance in her keeping the proportional representative seat.
The confirmation hearings began with Kim Sung-soo, the Supreme Court justice nominee who would fill the seat of the outgoing Lee Heung-gu.
Kim at the hearing addressed controversies over his alleged tax evasion and irregularities in real estate transactions. Kim was found to have been living in a high-end apartment in Gangnam-gu rented on a "jeonse" contract from his brother-in-law. In the deal, Kim is said to have put down a deposit of about one-fifth of the ordinary level while not paying a gift tax, which the opposition party has claimed as an unfair advantage that Kim enjoyed. Jeonse is a uniquely Korean rental system where a lump sum is paid to the owner of the property without monthly rent.
Kim said he "sincerely apologizes for causing concern" and added that he has started the process of paying delinquent gift tax and that he had no intention to receive the apartment as a gift.
Kim was one of two justice candidates recommended by Supreme Court Justice Jo Hee-de, but the presidential office effectively rejected the other candidate, citing lack of consultation between Lee's office and the Supreme Court.
The hearings of Democratic Party Rep. Kim Seung-won, nominee for justice minister; Lee Hyoung-il, nominee for deputy prime minister for economic affairs and minister of finance and economy; and Democratic Party Rep. Lee So-young, nominated for SMEs and startups minister, are scheduled for Tuesday.
Among the hearings scheduled for Tuesday, Kim Seung-won is drawing keen attention, as it has been alleged that Kim — a self-proclaimed advocate of the prosecutorial reform drive — had been involved in a stock pump-and-dump scheme.
Lee's political opponents have said that Kim's move in 2021 to relay a lobbyist's request to approve drug developer Genencell's COVID-19 treatment clinical trial plan to drug authorities, which passed two weeks later, served as a trigger of a stock manipulation case. Listed company Sejong Medical, which had earlier announced an investment in Genencell, saw its price skyrocket, quickly plummet and get delisted earlier this year.
Multiple opinion polls, including a Gallup Korea survey released Friday, have showed majorities of the public deem Kim to be unfit for the justice minister post, with those disapproving of Kim's nomination outnumbering those approving by about 2-to-1.
On Wednesday, the parliament will convene hearings for Kang Shin-chul, a former four-star general who was nominated as the defense minister; and Hong Jee-sun, nominated to lead land, infrastructure and transport.
The hearing for Choi Kil-su, a prosecutor-turned-attorney who was picked to fill in the independent inspector general post that has been vacant for a decade, is to take place Friday.
Aside from Supreme Court Justice nominee Kim, six other nominees would not require a vote by the National Assembly, and Lee's confirmation could be finalized without the parliamentary committee's adoption of the confirmation hearing report.
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