The confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok will be held on the 24th and 25th.

Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok meets with Chairperson Lee Jong-bae (in the center) and Commissioners Kim Hyun and Bae Jun-young (on the right) for a preliminary meeting at the National Assembly member's office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 17th. /News1

Lee Jong-bae, a Commissioner and Chairperson of the Special Committee on Prime Minister Nominee Confirmation Hearings, met with the Democratic Party of Korea's Kim Hyun and People Power Party's Bae Jun-young at the National Assembly on the 17th to discuss the schedule for the hearings and reached this agreement.

The Chairperson said in a meeting with reporters, "The schedule for the confirmation hearing for the nominee will be processed over the two days of next week, the 24th and 25th," and noted that the first meeting of the special committee to adopt the confirmation hearing plan and vote on the request for data submission will be held at 2 p.m. on the 18th.

Earlier, the ruling and opposition parties showed differing stances regarding the duration of the confirmation hearing. The Democratic Party demanded that the hearing be conducted over two days on the 23rd and 24th, in accordance with precedent, while the People Power Party insisted it should be held over three days from the 23rd to 25th for proper verification of allegations. As a result, no conclusion was reached in the morning meeting, but the schedule was finalized with the agreement that the nominee and the ruling party would actively cooperate in providing materials for the verification.

The Chairperson explained, "The opposition's claim is that if the data is provided quickly and personal data is submitted promptly, they are of the opinion that it would be fine to hold the hearing for two days, so we decided to adjust it to be held over two days," and stated that the deadline for concluding the confirmation hearing procedures was set for the 24th and 25th to maximize the period for securing materials.

However, there was no agreement on the witnesses and reference persons to summon for the hearing. The People Power Party argues that individuals, such as creditor Kang Shin-seong related to allegations of financial transactions involving the nominee and the former spouse of the nominee regarding the source of funds for the children's study abroad, should appear as witnesses. In response, the Democratic Party stated that this is an attempt to "embarrass the nominee."

Before the first meeting, the ruling and opposition parties announced that they would further discuss the additional witness and reference person candidates and that they would also vote on the request for their attendance along with the confirmation hearing plan.