President Lee Jae-myung on the 25th withdrew the nomination of Lee Hye-hoon for Minister of Planning and Budget. The presidential office said, "The nominee did not meet the public's expectations for a minister."
From the time of the nomination, various allegations were raised one after another against the nominee and were not properly explained. In particular, step-by-step allegations related to the nominee's children—college admission, military service, and apartment lottery—were criticized as falling short of the standard of fairness that our society expects of public officials.
◇ Admission to a prestigious university with a grandfather's medal, controversy over apartment subscription through "disguised unmarried" status
The allegation of preferential admission to Yonsei University for the nominee's eldest son was raised at the National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 23rd. The nominee's eldest son was admitted to Yonsei University in 2010 under the "social contributor track." The nominee answered that the eldest son was recognized as a social contributor based on a medal that his grandfather, former lawmaker Kim Tae-ho, received for serving as Minister of the Interior. It was also revealed that at the time of the eldest son's admission, his father held a key post at Yonsei University.
In response, the opposition argued admissions fraud based on Article 11, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which says "a decoration is effective only for the person who receives it." On online forums, people also said, "If a grandson enters a prestigious university thanks to his grandfather's medal, isn't that a modern version of the umseoje?" and "Wasn't this an exploitation of an admissions system unknown to the general public because the father was a faculty member with an administrative post?"
There were also allegations related to the military service of the nominee's second and third sons. People Power Party lawmaker Park Su-young said, "The nominee's second and third sons served as social service agents near their home, and since they were the first social service agents accepted by the institutions in question, preferential treatment in military service is suspected."
The nominee responded, "Including the eldest son's active-duty service, all three sons faithfully fulfilled their military obligations, and there was nothing illegal or improper." However, the nominee faced criticism that "the reasons the second and third sons did not serve active duty and how they were able to serve as social service agents at institutions near their home, as if designated, were not clarified."
There were also allegations that they won an apartment in Raemian One Pentas in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul through fraudulent subscription. The claim was that the nominee's spouse used a "disguised unmarried" tactic by not registering the marriage despite the eldest son's wedding and by making it appear that the son was living with his parents.
At the National Assembly confirmation hearing, the nominee said, "After the wedding, the couple's relationship deteriorated to the worst, and it was judged that it would be difficult to maintain the marriage," and added, "I never thought we engaged in fraudulent subscription."
A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) official, testifying at the hearing, answered that "there is a possibility of fraudulent subscription." Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea also pointed out problems with the apartment subscription and the lottery win.
◇ Allegations of "abuse and verbal abuse toward aides and an intern" and "spouse's real estate speculation" as well
There were also several allegations related to the nominee personally. In particular, verbal abuse and power abuse were issues. An audio file was released in which, in 2017, when the nominee was a lawmaker from the Bareun Party, the nominee told an intern employee, "Is your IQ a single digit?" and "I really wish I could kill you." There were also allegations that the nominee called aides late at night and said, "Can't you control your bowels?"
There were also allegations of real estate speculation by the nominee and the nominee's spouse. The nominee's spouse is suspected of having purchased land on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, in 2000, then selling it six years after the opening of Incheon International Airport to reap about 2.5 billion won in capital gains. There were also allegations that, at the time, the nominee, in the capacity of a research fellow at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), engaged in so-called "land speculation" after having prior knowledge of development information.
Choi Bo-yun, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a commentary that day, "The nominee is a figure who touched all of the so-called 'four taboos of the public'—real estate, military service, college admissions, and power abuse—and the clumsy excuses only drew derision from the public. This is not a matter that should end with the nominee falling." Choi urged, "The president should personally step forward to withdraw the nomination and apologize to the public, and the presidential office should request an investigation."