Ruling and Opposition Parties Tentatively Agree to Hold Lee Hyehoon’s Confirmation Hearing on the 19th: "Sufficient Questioning"

People Power Party to Bolster Hearing Committee Lineup
Lee Jongwook and Park Sumin, Former Ministry of Economy and Finance Officials, Added to Strategy and Finance Committee

The National Assembly has tentatively agreed to hold a confirmation hearing for Lee Hyehoon, the nominee for Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, on January 19.

Ruling and Opposition Parties Tentatively Agree to Hold Lee Hyehoon’s Confirmation Hearing on the 19th: "Sufficient Questioning"

Yonhap News Agency

Jung Taeho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and the ruling party secretary of the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee, told Yonhap News Agency on January 8, "I spoke with Park Sooyoung, the secretary from the People Power Party, and we agreed to hold the hearing for one day on the 19th." Jung explained, "We did not set a specific end time, such as midnight, but decided to allow enough time for thorough questioning, even if it goes late."

Initially, the People Power Party insisted on holding the hearing over two days, January 19 and 20, citing numerous controversies surrounding the nominee, including allegations of abuse of power and real estate speculation. In contrast, the Democratic Party maintained that the hearing should be limited to a single day.

With the ruling and opposition party secretaries reaching a tentative agreement on the hearing schedule, the Strategy and Finance Committee is expected to approve the plan for the confirmation hearing at a full committee meeting on January 12.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party, which is making an all-out effort to block the nominee's appointment, plans to strengthen its lineup of hearing committee members by replacing some members of the Strategy and Finance Committee ahead of the hearing. In particular, the party intends to secure economic expertise by bringing in Lee Jongwook and Park Sumin, both with experience at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to replace Yoo Sangbeom, the party's chief deputy floor leader, and Lee Inseon, head of the Daegu City Party Committee.