The adoption of the confirmation hearing progress report on Bank of Korea Governor nominee Shin Hyun-song fell through again. It was the second time, following the hearing on the 15th. The opposition parties opposed adopting the report, raising allegations that Shin's eldest daughter had her passport reissued without reporting her loss of nationality.
On the afternoon of the 17th, the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee held a plenary meeting to discuss adopting the confirmation hearing progress report on Shin, but the ruling and opposition parties failed to narrow their differences, and the adoption was ultimately scrapped. Even if the report on the Bank of Korea (BOK) governor is not adopted, the president can appoint the nominee, but the political burden could grow.
The opposition focused on the nationality issues of Shin's children. Cheon Ha-ram of the Reform Party said, "It was revealed that the eldest daughter had a Republic of Korea passport reissued even after losing her nationality," adding, "The circumstances of the nominee's false answer have become clear."
Cheon also said, "The nominee and all immediate family members have left Korean nationality," and noted, "The son reported loss of nationality and did not fulfill military duty, while the daughter had her passport reissued in 2022 without reporting loss of nationality," opposing the adoption of the report.
By contrast, Kim Young-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea countered, "Shin is a world-renowned scholar who has long dedicated himself to the field," adding, "Given that he is giving up compensation amounting to 1 billion won in annual salary to take the Bank of Korea (BOK) governorship, his affection for the nation is evident."
The Strategy and Finance Committee plans to hold a plenary meeting on the 20th to again discuss whether to adopt the progress report.