Kim Seung-won grilled over family, new drug allegations
Lee Hyeong-il, Lee So-young face scrutiny over non-resident homeownership
Ruling party cries 'political attack'; opposition says vetting has 'gone missing'
"Hearing week" — a series of confirmation hearings for nominees to the second-term Lee Jae Myung cabinet — got underway Tuesday amid criticism that the proceedings amounted to little more than an empty exercise, with not a single witness called.
Hearings for Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won, Finance minister nominee Lee Hyeong-il and SMEs and Startups minister nominee Lee So-young were held simultaneously, with ruling and opposition lawmakers clashing repeatedly over ethical allegations rather than the nominees' policy credentials or competence.
The most closely watched hearing — Kim's — descended into shouting from the outset, as lawmakers from both sides clashed over a social cooperative for people with developmental disabilities where Kim's spouse and children had worked.
People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo said benefits from the cooperative had been concentrated exclusively on students at the school where Kim's spouse serves as principal.
Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-hee rebuffed that claim, saying she felt "devastated that the People Power Party refuses to hear the desperate cries of families with developmentally disabled members."
The exchange quickly turned chaotic. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-a, who did not have the floor, shouted "devil" at the PPP members, prompting Ju to fire back at full volume: "The real devils are the ones skimming money from families." The hearing room briefly descended into pandemonium.
When Kim Seung-won said of the cooperative, "This was not done for personal gain or profit," and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief, Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Yeong-gyo of the Democratic Party was also seen wiping away tears. PPP lawmakers Kim Min-jeon and Kim Tae-gyu responded with audible laughter.
At the other two hearings, the nominees' ownership of homes in which they did not reside emerged as a parallel flashpoint.
At Lee Hyeong-il's hearing, PPP lawmakers pressed him hard on his purchase of an apartment in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which he has held for 17 years while living there for only four months.
At Lee So-young's hearing, PPP lawmaker Choi Su-jin said the nominee had not lived in her apartment in Hongje-dong, Seoul for seven years after buying it in 2016, during which time it appreciated by about 500 million won ($372,000). "That runs counter to the Lee Jae Myung government's real estate policy direction," Choi said.
Lee So-young replied that the government's policy was to differentiate tax benefits for non-resident single-home owners — not to impose direct regulations.
th5@heraldcorp.com
