Opposition: "We Will Vet Using the Seven Criteria"
Ruling Party: "Aiming to Form the Cabinet Without a Single Dropout"
Intense Scrutiny on Lee Jinsook, Jeong Eunkyung, and Others
Starting from July 14, confirmation hearings will be held for 18 nominees, including 16 ministerial candidates, Lim Gwanghyun, the nominee for Commissioner of the National Tax Service, and Oh Youngjun, the nominee for Constitutional Court Justice. As this so-called "confirmation hearing super week" unfolds, a fierce battle is expected between the opposition, aiming to disqualify unfit candidates, and the ruling party, which is eager to complete the cabinet as soon as possible.
On July 10, Song Eonseok, acting leader and floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at an emergency countermeasures committee meeting, "In 2017, the Moon Jae-in administration announced seven criteria for public office vetting: evasion of military service, illegal accumulation of assets, tax evasion, false registration of residence, research misconduct, sex-related crimes, and drunk driving." He continued, "Recently, the People Power Party also announced seven vetting criteria, but these are not new. We are simply applying the same seven criteria previously articulated by the Democratic Party to the current administration's appointments." Having previously focused its efforts on the confirmation hearing of Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok but failing to block the appointment, the People Power Party is now determined to turn the tables.
In contrast, the Democratic Party's goal is to move past the confirmation hearings without any nominee withdrawals, especially since the current administration was launched without a presidential transition committee. Kim Byungki, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated, "For the government to function properly, it is essential to complete the cabinet as soon as possible." Moon Jinseok, the party's chief deputy floor leader, also said, "Our goal is to form the cabinet quickly without a single nominee dropping out."
However, the fact that various allegations have been raised against each ministerial nominee remains a variable. The nominee that the People Power Party and other opposition parties are most intent on vetting is Lee Jinsook, the candidate for Minister of Education. The most prominent allegation is that she plagiarized a student's thesis while serving as a professor in the Department of Architectural Engineering at Chungnam National University. Joo Jinwoo, a People Power Party lawmaker, claimed that some pages of Lee's and her student's theses are identical, alleging that "more than 50% was plagiarized." There are also claims that she hastily copied her student's thesis, even reproducing typographical errors such as mistranslating "about 10m" as "about 10mwjd (in English)" in her own work. In another paper where she listed herself as the primary author, she allegedly copied awkward sentences directly from her student's thesis, adding to suspicions of "thesis hijacking." There are also allegations that she violated the Elementary and Secondary Education Act by sending only her daughter to study abroad without accompanying her, even though the law requires parents to travel with minors. These issues could fall under two of the seven vetting criteria: academic misconduct, such as thesis plagiarism, and abuse of power or preferential treatment.
Issues related to real estate and asset holdings, such as stocks, are also points of contention. Jeong Eunkyung, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, faced conflict-of-interest controversy when her spouse invested in related stocks while she was leading the COVID-19 response as Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. There have also been allegations that her spouse violated the Farmland Act by owning farmland without actually cultivating it. Other issues expected to be addressed at the hearings include suspicions of illicit apartment gifting (Han Seongsook, nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startups) and failure to report a spouse's stock options (Kang Sunwoo, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family).
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