First Cabinet Appointments Without Confirmation Hearing Reports Adopted
Appointment Procedures Completed for 14 Out of 18 Nominees
On July 25, President Lee Jaemyung approved the appointments of Unification Minister Chung Dongyoung, Defense Minister Ahn Kyubaek, and Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Kwon Oeul. With the approval of these three ministers, the appointment procedures for 14 out of the 18 cabinet nominees of the first administration (excluding Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) have been completed.
However, this is the first time that cabinet ministers have been appointed without the National Assembly adopting their confirmation hearing reports. President Lee had requested the National Assembly to submit the confirmation hearing reports for these ministers by July 24.
According to the Confirmation Hearing Act, if the National Assembly fails to adopt the confirmation hearing report within the deadline, the president may request the National Assembly to resend the report within a specified period of up to 10 days.
Meanwhile, confirmation hearings for Choi Hwiyeong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism nominee, and Kim Yoondeok, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee, are scheduled to be held on July 29. For the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the nominees have stepped down due to withdrawal of nomination and voluntary resignation, and the presidential office is currently searching for new candidates.
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