Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Defense Committee adopt hearing reports under Democratic Party leadership
PPP cancels Land and Industry committee sessions in retaliation
Lee Hyeong-il nominee's report adopted by bipartisan agreement
The political standoff over the nomination of Kim Seung-won as minister of justice has spilled into a post-confirmation hearing battle. The Democratic Party of Korea pushed through his hearing report over fierce opposition resistance, and the People Power Party retaliated by canceling committee sessions it controls. The clash over Kim's nomination is now rippling out to affect other cabinet nominees in President Lee Jae Myung's second-round reshuffle.
On Thursday, three standing committees chaired by Democratic Party lawmakers — the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Finance and Economy Planning Committee and the National Defense Committee — held plenary sessions to take up the adoption of confirmation hearing reports for their respective nominees.
The committees considered reports on Kim Seung-won, nominee for justice minister; Lee Hyeong-il, nominee for deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance; and Kang Shin-cheol, nominee for defense minister. The Finance and Economy Planning Committee, which convened first, adopted Lee's report. Committee Chairman Cho Seung-rae of the Democratic Party said the draft report had been prepared "in consultation with negotiators from both parties, focusing on the points raised during the hearing and the nominee's responses to them."
However, the People Power Party included a statement of opposition to Lee's nomination in the report. Bae Jun-yeong, the PPP's lead negotiator on the committee, said "many problems and concerns were raised, as reflected in the hearing report," but added that he recognized "the need for a control tower with the duty to turn around the struggling livelihoods economy as quickly as possible."
The confrontation reached its peak over the adoption of Kim Seung-won's hearing report. PPP members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee walked out in protest after Chairwoman Seo Yeong-gyo put the report to a vote. Before leaving, Park Hyeong-su, who leads the PPP's side on the committee, said in a procedural statement that "the move to adopt the report proves that the hearing itself was nothing more than a formality" and criticized the process, saying "not a single allegation was resolved during the hearing." The ruling-party bloc then adopted Kim's report in the PPP's absence.
The National Defense Committee followed suit that afternoon, adopting Kang Shin-cheol's hearing report under Democratic Party leadership. PPP members walked out, saying they "cannot consent to Kang's appointment."
Kim Byeong-ju, the Democratic Party's lead negotiator on the Defense Committee, urged adoption of the report, citing Kang's "very strong commitment" to reform goals pursued by the Lee Jae Myung administration — including the transfer of wartime operational control, the integration of military academies and the introduction of a selective volunteer system to address declining troop numbers. Opposition lawmakers rejected the argument and walked out.
PPP members of the Defense Committee sharpened their criticism at a National Assembly press conference, saying they "cannot help but question Cheong Wa Dae's vetting process" and asking how such a nominee could have been put forward for defense minister.
The fallout from the Kim Seung-won dispute spread to other committees on Thursday. The Industry, Trade, Resources, SMEs and Startups Committee and the Land and Infrastructure Committee — both chaired by PPP lawmakers — canceled their scheduled plenary sessions. The two panels had been set to take up hearing reports for Lee So-yeong, nominee for minister of SMEs and startups, and Hong Ji-seon, nominee for minister of land, infrastructure and transport, respectively.
The PPP suspended the sessions under its control after concluding that the Democratic Party was steamrolling post-hearing procedures for Kim and other nominees immediately after the confirmation hearings concluded.
PPP Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik criticized the Democratic Party at a supreme council meeting, saying Kim's nomination had been accompanied by "a tearful melodrama involving his 'oppa'" and that the party was "pushing ahead despite opposition from People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, which leans pro-ruling party." He added that "everyone knows the recklessness stems from the withdrawal of the indictment against President Lee Jae Myung."
Signs of unease were also visible within the PPP-chaired committees that canceled their sessions. A staff member from one lawmaker's office on the Industry, Trade, Resources, SMEs and Startups Committee said the panel "had been planning to adopt the hearing report for nominee Lee So-yeong, but the PPP side put a stop to it."
Cheong Wa Dae is expected to review the hearing reports before deciding whether to proceed with each appointment. Some observers believe President Lee will sign off on the nominations despite the ongoing controversies surrounding the nominees. A Cheong Wa Dae official said the president is expected to take into account that "the hearings went some way toward addressing the concerns" and that "a decision will likely be made with those points in mind."
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