Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok said on the 25th regarding President Lee Jae-myung's absence from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, "There is absolutely no possibility of being attacked with an anti-U.S. and pro-China frame."
During the personnel hearing held at the National Assembly that day, the nominee said, "There are concerns and criticisms that it reflects a sort of pro-China and anti-U.S. sentiment," adding, "While it could be a reasonable issue raised based on goodwill that it would be nice to meet, even for just 1 second whenever we can, it does not quite fit in a broader perspective."
He then noted, "NATO's status has been reduced to the point that member countries have shortened the main session to two and a half hours," adding, "There is a possibility that President Donald Trump of the United States may return suddenly, again like he did during the Group of Seven (G7)."
The nominee mentioned Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also deciding not to attend the NATO summit, stating, "Japan has decided to not participate, considering Korea's decision," and added, "President Lee understands that the Korea-U.S. alliance is a fundamental pillar of our security and that cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan is economically and security-wise much more important than what is generally perceived by a Democratic administration."
Regarding the call for a pardon for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, the nominee expressed, "There is room for discussion about what level of approach is good from the perspective of national integration that the times demand."
He stated, "The issue of the pardon power is the exclusive authority of the president, so it is not appropriate for me to mention it," but added, "There can be an approach that deals with incidents separately and an approach that considers it from the perspective of national integration."
However, he remarked, "I think the issue of rebellion cannot be compromised or distorted in the name of national integration."