National Assembly Enters 'Insacheongmunhoe Jeongguk'... Lee Jin-suk Hearing Schedule Sparks Ruling and Opposition Clash

Nomination Hearing for Environment Minister Candidate Kim Wan-seop on 22nd
Supreme Court Justice Hearings on 22nd, 24th, and 25th
Significant Disagreement Over Whether to Hold Two-Day Hearing for KCC Chairperson Lee Jin-suk

The National Assembly, which could not even hold an opening ceremony due to the special investigation law on Chae Sang-byeong and the presidential impeachment petition hearings, has entered a 'hearing political situation.'

On the 16th, the National Assembly held the Special Committee on the Supreme Court Justice Nominee Hearing, the Environment and Labor Committee, and the Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee to prepare for personnel hearings.

At the Environment and Labor Committee, it was decided to hold the hearing for Kim Wan-seop, Minister of Environment, on the 22nd. The Special Committee on the Supreme Court Justice Nominee Hearing decided to hold hearings for nominee No Kyung-pil on the 22nd, nominee Lee Sook-hyun on the 24th, and nominee Lee Sook-yeon on the 25th.

Candidate Lee Jin-sook for Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission is arriving at the confirmation hearing office set up near the Government Gwacheon Complex in Gyeonggi on the 8th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

However, there is a significant disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the schedule for the hearing of nominee Lee Jin-sook for Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission. Kim Hyun, the Democratic Party's secretary of the Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said, "The Democratic Party proposes to hold the hearing over two days, on the 24th and 25th," adding, "The schedule will be decided at the plenary session."

However, the People Power Party rejects this schedule. After a floor strategy meeting, Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters, "Has there ever been a two-day hearing except for the Prime Minister and Chief Justice?" He added, "Ministerial-level hearings usually last one day, and if the case is straightforward, they finish during the day; if necessary, they extend into late night, but generally, hearings end in one day as a custom."

Choi Hyung-doo, the People Power Party's secretary of the Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said, "There is no precedent for holding a two-day hearing for cabinet members or government officials," and opposed, saying, "The National Assembly's personnel hearings function to verify government appointments within a certain timeframe and assist in forwarding them to the government. What exactly do they intend to do over two days?"

Meanwhile, the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee held a hearing for nominee Kang Min-soo for Commissioner of the National Tax Service on the same day.