When reporters asked Minister of Planning and Budget nominee Lee Hye-hoon on the 19th, "Are you not considering stepping down voluntarily?" Lee said, "I will first offer an explanation to the public." A National Assembly confirmation hearing for the nominee had been scheduled to open at 10 a.m. that day, but it has not even begun due to clashes between the ruling and opposition parties.
As the confirmation hearing fell into disarray, the nominee said, "I am waiting for the hearing to open so I can fully explain before the public."
When reporters asked, "The opposition says the submission of materials related to the hearing is insufficient; is there a reason you are not submitting them?" the nominee answered, "We submitted everything we have or could obtain."
When reporters then asked, "The opposition says you submitted only 15% of the requested materials; is that an exaggeration?" the nominee said, "It's an exaggeration. We submitted about 75%." The nominee added, "We are preparing to submit as much as possible now. We submitted everything we could secure and are preparing to secure more."
The People Power Party and other conservative opposition parties including the Reform Party demanded a change to the hearing schedule at a full meeting of the National Assembly Strategy and Finance Committee that day, saying the nominee failed to properly submit the requested materials. The Democratic Party of Korea, however, argued that because the schedule was set by bipartisan agreement, the hearing should start first and any missing materials should be requested later.