Lack of Standards, Principles, and Philosophy Criticized
People Power Party Calls It "Opposition for the Sake of Opposition"
Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the emergency countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on the 6th and delivering a speech. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea criticized President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol’s nomination of eight ministerial candidates, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, saying it was "a haphazard personnel announcement rushed to fill the cabinet without any vision or philosophy for national governance."
On the afternoon of the 10th, during the first preparatory meeting for the confirmation hearing of Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo held at the National Assembly, Floor Leader Park stated, "The Presidential Transition Committee is engaging in opaque personnel decisions without clear standards, principles, or philosophy, and is only causing public disapproval by dividing positions among their own people as a form of reward."
He added, "Looking at the appointments announced so far, they seem far from the Democratic Party’s basic personnel principle of 'right person in the right place' (understanding the job first, then assigning personnel). Since this is the first cabinet that will determine the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, our Democratic Party will also bear heavy responsibility and fulfill our role of checks and balances through thorough verification."
He continued, "We will not make any presumptions. We will only examine whether the candidates violate laws, principles, fairness, common sense, morality, or conscience," and explained, "We will hold confirmation hearings that meet the public’s expectations and involve the people until the end. The final choice will be made by the people."
Regarding various allegations surrounding candidate Han, Floor Leader Park said, "President-elect Yoon has not properly presented personnel standards, has thrown the ball in the wrong place, and is poised to insist it’s a strike. The only criterion announced by the transition committee is that the candidate passed a confirmation hearing 15 years ago, which is absurd. Asking for verification based on standards from that time is an unreasonable demand."
He emphasized, "The Democratic Party will carefully verify whether candidate Han will be a channel for national unity and solving people’s livelihood issues or a channel for big business lobbyists."
On the same day, Chief Spokesperson Ko Yong-jin held a press conference and said, "Looking at the profiles of the candidates announced today, it is impossible not to evaluate that there is a lack of ‘balance’ in terms of region, school, and policy line," and criticized, "The highest value the president should pursue is national unity. We are concerned that President-elect Yoon may misunderstand balance and harmony as ‘dividing and sharing’."
He pointed out, "For the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which requires a balance between health and welfare, a person who has walked the path of a medical professional was appointed; for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which requires a high understanding of gender equality policies and pride in the department, an economist was appointed; for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which requires a balance between regulation and promotion, a ‘regulation abolitionist’ was appointed; and for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which oversees media promotion policies, a person with concerns about deep involvement in the management of a specific media company was appointed. Reflection is needed on whether these appointments were appropriate."
In particular, regarding former Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong, who was nominated as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, he said it was "inappropriate" and added, "The reason he was selected can only be seen as a reward for leading false and exaggerated political attacks during the last presidential election."
In response, the People Power Party called it "opposition for the sake of opposition." Chief Spokesperson Heo Eun-ah criticized in a statement on the same day, "The confirmation hearing for the prime minister candidate has not even started yet, and the eight ministerial candidates have just been announced. Yet the Democratic Party is already talking about ‘falling out’ and today Floor Leader Park disparaged President-elect Yoon’s appointments."
She added, "This is old-fashioned politics trying to find faults before the process even begins. It is time to stop now."
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