Seoul: The National Assembly commenced the confirmation hearings for President Lee Jae Myung's first Cabinet selections, leading to a heated exchange between rival parties over the nominees and their proposed policies. Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the opposition People Power Party (PPP) clashed during the hearings for four minister nominees, causing delays and suspensions in several sessions.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cabinet appointments in South Korea require parliamentary hearings, but do not necessitate lawmakers' approval for the nominees to assume their roles. The session for Bae Kyung-hoon, nominated for the science and ICT minister, was interrupted after just five minutes due to protests from the PPP. Similarly, the hearing for Kang Sun-woo, a Democratic Party lawmaker nominated for the minister of gender equality, faced disruptions due to accusations of workplace abuse, including allegations of making aides perform personal chores. This session was temporarily halted 14 minutes in but resumed shortly after.
The National Assembly is set to conduct confirmation hearings from Monday to Friday for 16 Cabinet nominees, along with the chief of the National Tax Service. The People Power Party has openly criticized Kang and four other nominees-Education Minister nominee Lee Jin-sook, Veterans Minister nominee Kwon Oh-eul, Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun, and Unification Minister nominee Chung Dong-young-calling for their nominations to be withdrawn. PPP floor leader Song Eon-seog emphasized that some nominees are so unqualified that their appointments could potentially harm the South Korea-United States alliance. Despite the opposition, the Democratic Party is determined to proceed with the hearings as scheduled.