People Power Party Criticizes Kyojin Choi for Insufficient Document Submission and Political Bias
Questions Raised Over "Ten-Day" Tenure of Financial Services Commission Nominee
The Education Committee and the Committee on Finance and Economy of the National Assembly each held confirmation hearings on September 2 for Kyojin Choi, nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, and Eokwon Lee, nominee for chairman of the Financial Services Commission. The opposition People Power Party criticized the nominees for insufficient document submission, political bias, and suitability, while the Democratic Party of Korea defended the nominees, calling the criticisms excessive.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education nominee Choi Gyojin is responding to a request for document submission at the Personnel Hearing held by the Education Committee of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News
During the morning confirmation hearing for nominee Kyojin Choi at the Education Committee, People Power Party lawmakers pointed out issues such as insufficient document submission and political bias. Assemblywoman Minjeon Kim of the People Power Party said, "I requested the transcript of grades, tuition, and scholarship records from your master's program, but you have refused to provide them, citing concerns about personal information infringement," adding, "It is difficult to understand why you would not even submit such materials."
Assemblyman Seongguk Jeong of the People Power Party also stated, "I asked for information on scholarships received during graduate school by the nominee, spouse, and direct descendants. Even if we let the spouse and direct descendants slide, why are you not disclosing your own scholarship records?" He emphasized, "Scholarships are a very sensitive issue in education."
Daesik Kim and Jiyoung Seo, People Power Party lawmakers representing Busan, pointed out that nominee Choi posted a message on his social media in 2012, after former President Park Geunhye was elected in the 18th presidential election, saying, 'Busan is still shameful.'
In response, nominee Choi explained, "I saw a poem titled 'Is Busan Still Shameful?' posted by a poet living in Busan and thought there were people who felt that way, so I simply shared it." He added, "I acknowledge it was a careless act to share it, and I apologize once again."
Cho Kyojin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education nominee, is taking an oath at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Education Committee in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
On the other hand, Democratic Party lawmakers shifted attention by criticizing Baeyong Lee, former chairman of the National Education Commission, who resigned after being accused of giving a ten-don gold turtle to First Lady Kim Keonhee.
Assemblywoman Seungah Baek of the Democratic Party said, "We have repeatedly stated that we cannot accept a New Right figure as chairman of the National Education Commission, but he persisted until the gold turtle bribery allegations surfaced, at which point he issued a statement and disappeared." She stressed, "He should not be allowed to resign like this. He must appear before the National Assembly and apologize to the public."
Nominee Choi, a former teacher and three-term superintendent of education, faces various allegations, including making inappropriate remarks, drunk driving, thesis plagiarism, and political bias. In 2003, he was fined 2 million won for drunk driving with a blood alcohol concentration high enough for license cancellation. In 2006, he was accused of copying news articles without citation in his master's thesis at Mokwon University. In 2014, it became known that he confessed in a YouTube video to slapping a female student who dropped from first to twelfth place in class rankings while he was a middle school teacher, causing public controversy.
Lee Eokwon, nominee for the Financial Services Commission chairman, is attending the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Committee on Finance and Economy on the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News
At the confirmation hearing for nominee Eokwon Lee at the Committee on Finance and Economy, concerns were raised about whether it was appropriate to hold a confirmation hearing for the chairman of the Financial Services Commission when the organization might soon be dissolved due to an upcoming government reorganization.
Assemblyman Sanghoon Kim of the People Power Party said, "The Democratic Party says it is still unclear whether the Financial Services Commission will be incorporated under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. If it is incorporated, we are holding a confirmation hearing for the head of an organization that will be absorbed. Isn't this a comedy?" He continued, "We should clearly confirm the outcome of the reorganization before deciding whether to proceed with the hearing."
Previously, the National Policy Planning Committee reportedly briefed the presidential office on a plan to incorporate the Financial Services Commission under the Ministry of Economy and Finance and to merge its supervisory functions with the Financial Supervisory Service to create a new Financial Supervisory Commission. The ruling and opposition parties held a consultative meeting the previous day and discussed submitting a government organization amendment bill containing these changes to the plenary session on the 25th.
Assemblyman Yangsoo Lee of the People Power Party pointed out, "If there is a 50-50 chance that the government organization amendment bill will be passed at the plenary session on the 25th, then there is also a 50-50 chance that nominee Lee will only work for about ten days before stepping down. Is it right for us to hold a confirmation hearing for someone who may only serve for ten days?"
In response, Assemblyman Beomgye Park of the Democratic Party explained, "If the President nominated nominee Lee after the controversy over the reorganization of the Financial Services Commission had already arisen, it does not seem likely that he would be a 'ten-day chairman.'"
Assemblyman Namgeun Kim of the Democratic Party added, "The functions of the Financial Services Commission regarding financial policy and financial supervision have been under continuous discussion. If nominee Lee is appointed, he will discuss these matters within the government as chairman. Opposition lawmakers can simply ask the nominee about his policy plans for the Financial Services Commission during the confirmation hearing."
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