At the hearing at the National Assembly on the 23rd for Hwang Jong-woo, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Hwang's experience in fisheries affairs and matters related to his asset became a hot-button issue.
The Democratic Party of Korea pointed out that Hwang's experience in the fisheries sector is relatively short, while the People Power Party criticized that Hwang's deposits asset increased significantly after leaving public office but his related explanation was insufficient.
Rep. Moon Geum-ju of the Democratic Party said, "Looking at recent policies related to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), most are centered on the ocean and shipping industries," adding, "There has been a steady indication that fisheries policy has been pushed relatively down the policy priority list."
Moon added, "The nominee also has only three months of experience in fisheries policy out of more than 25 years in public service," and said, "The Minister's post is not so much for a specialist in a particular field as it is a position that oversees the entire policy portfolio, and I hope the Minister nominee keeps that in mind."
Rep. Im Ho-seon of the same party also said, "It is basic that in our Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), fishers should be carefully looked after so they are not left out," and urged, "You should even design a system to return, in part, by post-settlement, the duty-free fuel that has already been used (by fishers after the Middle East crisis)."
Opposition lawmakers pointed to the sharp increase in Hwang's deposits asset after retirement and the lecture fees received after leaving public office.
Rep. Lee Man-hee of the People Power Party said, "Looking at the changes in assets from August 2022, when the nominee resigned from public office, until he became a nominee, nearly 830 million won was added in the deposits category alone," and pointed out, "The explanation the nominee sent said it was 'the portion that increased from the deposits and salary he had.'"
Lee went on to criticize, "Even though what is sought is the accounts and forms of existence for the nominee's personally accumulated assets, this kind of refusal to answer is an attitude that is nothing short of extremely arrogant."
Rep. Park Jun-tae of the same party noted that Hwang worked as an adviser to the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives in 2023, saying, "The amount received (as an adviser) over one year was about 30 million won. There were about six meetings, which means he received 5 million won in advisory fees for each meeting."
Park said, "The lecture fees were also large. He received 1.5 million won and 2 million won from HMM, and 2.5 million won from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives," adding, "For a single lecture, this level of expense is excessive."
When Park asked whether the lecture fees were excessive, Hwang replied, "I admit they were a bit much."