Family Company 'Unlisted Stock' Report Omission and Son's Kim & Chang 'Internship Favoritism' Allegations
Candidate Lee "Neglected Family Finances and Forgot for a While... Unaware of Internship Selection Process"
Opposition Declares Full-Scale Battle with Arrest Warrant Request for Representative Lee Jae-myung... Likely to Intensify Offensive
The National Assembly confirmation hearings for Lee Gyun-yong, the nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (age 60, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 16), are scheduled for the 19th and 20th. Among the nominees for Chief Justice in history, Lee has declared the largest amount of assets, making his wealth a key subject of scrutiny. Accordingly, the main points of interest in Lee's confirmation hearing are expected to be the omitted details in his asset declaration process, the failure to report his children's overseas accounts, and allegations of preferential treatment in joining a major law firm.
Nominee for Chief Justice Lee Gyun-yong is arriving at the confirmation hearing preparation office located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 29th of last month. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@
Lee declared a total of approximately 7.23 billion KRW in assets held by himself, his spouse, and two children. He is the wealthiest among all Chief Justice nominees whose asset details have been disclosed through confirmation hearings since the civilian government era. Reported assets include an apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a commercial building in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu owned by his wife, land and deposits in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk Province, and Busan. Shortly after his nomination, controversy arose when it was revealed that he had failed to report unlisted shares of a family company from the past. Lee apologized, stating he was unaware that the enforcement ordinance had changed.
In particular, Lee is suspected of violating the Public Officials Ethics Act by failing to report unlisted shares worth 1 billion KRW in a company operated by his wife's family since 2000. Additionally, suspicions have been raised that Lee's children, who have lived abroad for an extended period since 2002, had their local bank account details omitted from Lee's asset declaration list.
Other anticipated points of contention in the hearing include the omission of the high-value cello owned by his daughter, a cellist, from asset registration, and the record of his son, who works in finance, having interned at the Kim & Chang law firm.
Regarding these issues, Lee explained in a written response submitted to the National Assembly's Special Committee on Personnel Hearings, "The unlisted shares I held were not subject to reporting at any time before the amendment of the enforcement ordinance of the Public Officials Ethics Act," and added, "I was inattentive to household matters and had forgotten about holding these shares for some time, which I believe was a major cause of the omission in asset reporting."
Concerning his son's internship at a major law firm, Lee stated, "I had no involvement in supporting or during the internship process, so I do not know exactly how he was selected for the internship."
Furthermore, during the hearing, opposition lawmakers are expected to focus on controversies surrounding Lee's past rulings related to a lack of 'gender sensitivity.' Lee has been criticized for showing insufficient sensitivity toward socially vulnerable groups, such as reducing sentences for perpetrators in appeals involving domestic violence and sexual crimes. However, since rulings relate to judicial independence, this is unlikely to constitute a significant disqualification.
The Supreme Court is concerned that if the National Assembly delays adopting the review report on Lee's appointment consent, the vacancy in the Chief Justice position could be prolonged. Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo's term ends on the 24th. The appointment of the Chief Justice requires a plenary session vote with a majority of members present and a majority of those present voting in favor.
With the opposition party's cooperation unlikely, Lee's appointment consent faces significant challenges. Tensions between the government, ruling party, and opposition have peaked as prosecutors have requested an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is on a hunger strike. The Democratic Party has submitted a motion to dismiss Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to the National Assembly and is calling for the entire cabinet's resignation. Against this backdrop of extreme confrontation between ruling and opposition parties, Lee's confirmation hearing is expected to see a higher level of opposition attacks compared to previous Chief Justice nominee hearings.
The opposition may also use the plenary vote on Lee's appointment consent as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the government after the hearing. Considering the upcoming National Assembly inspection schedule starting next month, if Lee's appointment consent bill does not pass the National Assembly this month, the vote is expected to take place only after November.
If the appointment consent process for Lee is prolonged, the Supreme Court will operate under Acting Chief Justice Ahn Cheol-sang, a senior justice who is scheduled to retire on January 1 next year.
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