"Resignation of Kwon In-sook" vs "Apologize for Leaving First" Kim Haeng Hearing Disruption Dispute

Verbal Abuse and Shouting... Ruling Party's Mass Walkout
Ruling Party: "Chairman's Biased Proceedings"
Opposition: "We Made a Reasonable Request"

The confirmation hearing for Kim Haeng, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, was marred by disruption. On the 5th, Kim and ruling party lawmakers collectively walked out during the hearing, and the repercussions continued into the 6th.

The Democratic Party criticized Kim's refusal to comply with requests for document submission. The People Power Party protested, accusing Gender Equality Committee Chairwoman Kwon In-sook of biased proceedings, including demanding Kim's resignation.

Opposition lawmakers demanded disclosure of Kim's daughter's social news (Wikitree operator) shareholding and transaction details, but Kim refused, saying "my daughter does not want to." Chairwoman Kwon told Kim, "If you maintain that attitude, you should resign yourself," prompting the People Power Party to leave the hearing room with Kim, citing Kwon's biased remarks.

Kim Haeng, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on October 5, 2023. Photo by Yonhap News.

The Democratic Party stated that Chairwoman Kwon made reasonable remarks. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Han-gyu, a member of the Gender Equality Committee, explained in an MBC radio interview on the 6th, "Opposition lawmakers repeatedly pointed out the nominee's attitude and failure to submit documents, but Kim shouted 'I won't submit them,' showing a very negative attitude. To quell the opposition's backlash, Chairwoman Kwon spoke on behalf of the nominee."

Kim added, "The intent was not to demand immediate resignation but to urge active document submission as a nominee's duty. Suddenly, some ruling party lawmakers who were not even in the meeting room came in shouting 'Let's leave, let's leave.' If the ruling party apologized for abruptly leaving the meeting, we would have asked the chairwoman to apologize as well, but that was not accepted."

The People Power Party countered that the collective walkout was not unilateral but followed Chairwoman Kwon's declaration of recess. Lawmaker Jo Eun-hee said, "The chairwoman had a fixed idea that Kim should resign. We said we would continue if she expressed regret about that, but she never did. It was a unilateral recess, and when the session resumed, our demands were not met."

Regarding Chairwoman Kwon's demand for Kim's resignation, Jo pointed out, "If an opposition lawmaker says that, it can be misunderstood as a political attack, but the chairwoman doing so is unprecedented in about 23 years of hearings. It means she does not want the hearing to proceed."

On the Democratic Party's unilateral extension of the hearing schedule by one day until the 6th, Jo said, "Schedule changes cannot be made without bipartisan agreement. The nominee's consent is also required. The hearing was agreed to end yesterday. The minister is not obligated to attend."

Ruling party whip Jeong Kyung-hee declared at a National Assembly inspection countermeasures meeting that day, "We clearly state that we will never agree to any future agenda except the national inspection while urging Chairwoman Kwon's resignation," expressing her intention not to attend the extended hearing for Kim.