Opposition: "Lee Hyehoon or Presidential Office Must Decide... President Lee Should Make the Call"

Park Sooyoung: "Hearing Possible If Materials Are Submitted... But Resignation Is Appropriate"
Responsibility Shifts to the Presidential Office

On January 20, the People Power Party stated regarding the confirmation hearing for Lee Hyehoon, nominee for Minister of Economy and Finance, "We believe that either she herself or the Presidential Office needs to make a decision." While the party maintains the official position that holding the hearing depends on the submission of materials, the overall atmosphere suggests that the responsibility is being shifted to the Presidential Office.

Park Sooyoung, the People Power Party's secretary of the Finance and Economy Planning Committee, said on YTN Radio that the confirmation hearing "depends on the materials provided by the nominee." Park stated, "It is meaningless to proceed with the hearing with insufficient materials. There is a high possibility it will turn into a hollow, superficial hearing," adding, "Whether or not to resume the hearing depends entirely on the nominee's submission of materials."

Lee Hyehoon, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, is moving while receiving questions from the press at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th. The full meeting of the Finance and Economy Planning Committee held that day was adjourned after a dispute between the ruling and opposition parties over whether to hold a hearing for Minister Lee. January 19, 2026 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

While expressing his intention to hold the hearing, Park also urged a decision from the Presidential Office. He said, "If it is determined that public opinion is turning negative, then a decision needs to be made by either the nominee herself or the Presidential Office so that the public does not experience further stress." He also expressed skepticism about the repeated calls from the Presidential Office or the Democratic Party leadership to open a verification process through the confirmation hearing. Park said, "Officially, some members of the ruling party's Finance and Economy Committee say that the hearing should proceed even with incomplete materials, but privately, some say this situation is even worse than that of Kang Sunwoo, who withdrew as a nominee." Regarding the next steps, he said, "Voluntary resignation is appropriate," but added, "Given that the nominee did not step down even after a recording of power harassment was released, I doubt she will resign now. If the President's approval rating drops once more and falls below 50%, there is a possibility a decision will be made, and it is only right that such a decision is made."

He also indicated that the nominee's philosophy does not align with President Lee Jaemyung's vision for state affairs. Park said, "The nominee holds a conservative view on issues such as cash handouts. Even if not strictly in the field of economics, it would have been better to select someone with centrist views on welfare or the environment, rather than bringing in someone with opposing ideas," adding, "I think this was a bit too ambitious."

In response to claims that the People Power Party has previously nominated her, Park dismissed this as "misdirection." He explained, "When a party verifies a candidate for nomination, it is not a process involving the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Agency, the National Tax Service, the Financial Intelligence Unit, or the Board of Audit and Inspection. It is only possible to review the materials submitted by the candidate," emphasizing, "This is a different procedure from the appointment of a government minister."

Meanwhile, there is also a discrepancy between the nominee and the People Power Party regarding the rate of material submission. While the People Power Party cites 15%, the nominee claims 75%. On this, Park said, "As of the deadline we set, which was 5 p.m. on the 15th, only 15% of the requested materials were submitted. The nominee brought another 18 documents at 9 p.m. the day before yesterday, but even combined, the percentage does not increase significantly." He added, "When you look at the 75% claimed by the nominee, many of those are responses stating that information cannot be submitted because it pertains to the spouse or children’s personal information, which cannot even be considered proper answers."