President Lee Maintains Nomination of Kang Sunwoo... Woo Sangho Says Ruling Party Leadership Had Major Influence

Lee Jinsook Unable to Overcome Public Opposition...
"Nomination Withdrawal Was Decided After Consultation With the Nominee"
President Lee Expected to Soon Request Resubmission of Confirmation Report

Woo Sangho, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, stated on July 20 that President Lee Jaemyung's decision to withdraw the nomination of Lee Jinsook, the candidate for Minister of Education, while retaining Kang Sunwoo, the candidate for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, was primarily influenced by the opinions of the ruling party leadership.

Yonhap News Agency

In an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyunjung's News Show' on July 21, Woo explained, "President Lee made this decision after considering various factors." He added, "There was significant public opinion against both candidates, and in the final stage, there were also many voices insisting on pushing ahead with the appointments. I conveyed all opinions without omission, and ultimately, the appointing authority made this decision." However, Woo noted that President Lee did not provide an explanation for the background of this decision.

Furthermore, Woo believed that the opinions of the ruling party leadership had a significant impact on President Lee's final decision. He stated that the fact that Kang is an incumbent member of the National Assembly and is personally acquainted with President Lee was not a factor in the decision. He said, "I presented various opinions regarding candidate Kang, but in the end, it appears that the ruling party leadership's opinion had the greatest influence." Kim Byungki, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, had previously expressed the view that there were no disqualifying reasons for any of the ministerial candidates, including Kang. When asked whether Kang's personal acquaintance with the president or the lack of familiarity with Lee's background played a decisive role, Woo responded, "That's just speculation you hear at the water cooler."

Regarding President Lee's withdrawal of Lee Jinsook's nomination, Woo explained that it ultimately came down to being unable to overcome public opposition. He said, "In fact, I believed she was qualified in many ways, and many of the suspicions had been clarified. She herself may feel quite aggrieved." On President Lee's choice to withdraw the nomination, Woo explained, "This was a method decided after consultation with the nominee. In conclusion, it was done according to her wishes."

He continued, "President Lee deliberated deeply. He spent an entire day considering the matter before contacting me. While various opinions are conveyed and discussed before a decision is made, once the president has decided, it is unthinkable for an aide to undermine that decision by making further comments." When asked if the decision regarding Kang could change before her official appointment, Woo replied, "The announcement was made because she will be appointed. If there were no intention to appoint her, there would have been no reason to make the announcement separately."

Accordingly, President Lee is expected to soon initiate the process of requesting the resubmission of the confirmation report for Kang. Because the chair of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee is from the opposition party, the ruling party cannot unilaterally adopt the confirmation report. If the National Assembly fails to adopt the report, the president may request its resubmission within ten days, and if the National Assembly does not comply, the president may proceed with the appointment without the report from the following day.