Lee Jae-myung decided to withdraw the nomination of Lee Hye-hoon for Minister of Planning and Budget on the 25th based on a political calculation that, although the National Assembly held a confirmation hearing, the suspicions were not cleared up and it would be difficult to keep dragging out the process.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said at a press briefing, "Initially, the position was to wait until the 26th to see whether the confirmation hearing report would be adopted and then decide whether to withdraw the nomination," adding, "However, it seems Lee Jae-myung judged that the candidate's explanation at the hearing had limitations in definitively resolving the suspicions."
The official said, "The president saw that 'the adoption of the hearing report is somewhat uncertain, which could prolong the timeline, and there is a possibility this issue could dominate all next week,' and judged that 'if appointing the candidate is difficult, it would be better to decide quickly.'"
Lee Jae-myung appears to have decided to withdraw the nomination on the morning of the day. A Cheong Wa Dae official said, "This morning we asked the Democratic Party to finalize its position, but the president made up his mind before the party's position arrived," adding, "The candidate was notified before the withdrawal was announced to the press." Earlier, the presidential office's senior political affairs secretary's office gathered public opinion on the candidate after the hearing and reported it to Lee.
The National Assembly held the confirmation hearing on the 23rd, but as various suspicions about the candidate grew, voices in the Democratic Party said it would be difficult to defend the candidate. In the worst case, observers said the issue might not stop at a failure to adopt the report but could even result in an unfit report.
Even if the National Assembly does not adopt the confirmation hearing report or issues an unfit report, there is no legal obstacle to the president appointing the candidate as Minister. However, the political burden would increase, and it could create difficulties in running the government ministry.
In political circles, some said, "The president anticipated backlash from the opposition but made an active attempt by nominating a figure from the opposition as a Minister candidate; if the appointment were pushed through unreasonably, the calculation was that the damage could be considerable."