This week, confirmation hearings will be held one after another for five of the six people President Lee Jae-myung nominated last month as ministerial candidates. Attention is on whether Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won, who faces allegations including a request for approval of Genencell's new drug clinical trial, will pass the hearing and receive the letter of appointment.
On the 15th, hearings will be held for Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance nominee Lee Hyeong-il, Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seung-won, and Minister of SMEs and Startups nominee Lee So-young. On the 16th, hearings will be held for Minister of National Defense candidate Kang Shin-cheol and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Hong Ji-seon. The schedule for nominee Yong Hye-in's hearing has not yet been set due to disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties.
◇ "Genencell clinical approval request," "Lee indictment withdrawal" put Kim Seung-won's hearing in the spotlight
The most watched hearing figure is nominee Kim Seung-won. The opposition has raised allegations against Kim, including a request to approve a new drug clinical trial, stock manipulation, and preferential treatment in family personnel expenses.
The clinical request allegation is that in 2021 Kim, at the request of broker Yang Su-jin, asked then Minister of Food and Drug Safety Commissioner Kim Gang-lip to expedite approval of Genencell's COVID-19 treatment clinical trial plan. Kim received a suspension of indictment in Dec. 2024 on a charge under the Criminal Act of promising to broker a bribe, allegedly agreeing to receive a 5 million won donation in return.
A suspension of indictment is a disposition in which the prosecutor, acknowledging the crime suspicion but considering various circumstances, does not bring the suspect to trial. The People Power Party says prosecutors made an improper suspension-of-indictment decision. The Democratic Party is attacking People Power Party lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is exposing recordings related to the case of nominee Kim Seung-won, saying he unlawfully obtained investigative materials from prosecutors. The ruling party refused to adopt any witnesses requested by the opposition for the hearing and even argued that Han should be adopted as a witness instead.
Another focal point at the hearing is the concern that if Kim takes office, he could order the withdrawal of indictments in President Lee Jae-myung's various trials. That is because Kim is a co-representative of the Democratic Party's "lawmakers' group for withdrawal of indictments in President Lee Jae-myung's cases." Kim says, "The Minister of Justice does not have the authority to withdraw indictments, and I have no intention of issuing directives through the prosecutor general."
◇ Yong Hye-in can't even set a hearing date... some in the party hope for a voluntary resignation
In the case of nominee Yong Hye-in, the ruling and opposition parties have not even been able to set a hearing date due to various favoritism allegations. Unlike incumbent Minister Won Min-kyong, Yong is criticized for lacking clear achievements related to the women's movement. She was nominated as a minister after serving as No. 2 on the proportional representation list through the Democratic Party's satellite party. Controversy also arose when, even after being named minister, she said she would not resign her proportional representation seat. Critics say this is intended to maintain the party's annual 1.1 billion won in state subsidies.
In addition, nominee Yong's husband, Park Gi-hong, has faced criticism as "a family income party," after holding key posts such as secretary-general and Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination from the early days of the Basic Income Party's founding, receiving a total of 123.66 million won in salary from the party over five years, and then being elected to the supreme council.
Some in the ruling camp are said to hope that Yong will voluntarily step down to ease the burden on the Democratic Party. However, Yong said at a press briefing on the 10th that she has no intention of resigning.
◇ Deputy prime minister for economy, land ministry, and defense minister nominees face real estate controversies
The opposition is raising real estate-related allegations against Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance nominee Lee Hyeong-il, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Hong Ji-seon, and Minister of National Defense nominee Kang Shin-cheol.
Nominee Lee Hyeong-il owned an apartment in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, for 17 years but lived there for only four months, drawing criticism for running counter to this administration's housing policy focused on actual residence. Nominee Kang Shin-cheol is known to have had four immediate family members—himself, his father, his aunt, and his older brother—qualify for special allotments for residents displaced by demolition.
Nominee Lee So-young was said to have booked a paper gain of 700 million won after buying an apartment in Seodaemun District, Seoul, while living on jeonse in her own constituency of Uiwang and Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province. Nominee Hong Ji-seon was found to have bought a Seoul apartment by adding money borrowed from her in-laws to a mortgage loan—an "all-in" purchase scraping together everything—while serving as head of the Gyeonggi Province housing policy office.