On the second day of the so-called 'confirmation hearing super week' on the 15th, the ruling and opposition parties continued their heated exchanges over candidate verification. On this day, confirmation hearings were held for four ministerial candidates in Lee Jae-myung's government and the candidate for the Commissioner of the National Tax Service. Members of the People Power Party pointed out the lack of expertise of the candidates and concerns over favoritism. The Democratic Party of Korea countered the opposition’s attacks by saying they were personal attacks and rated the candidates as 'qualified.'
During the confirmation hearing for Kwon Oh-eul, the Minister candidate for the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, held by the National Policy Committee, the issue of 'double salary receipt' arose. Kwon is accused of having received wages while working at four to five companies simultaneously for about two years starting in 2023.
Kwon denied the allegations of double employment, stating, '(At each company) I received about 1.5 million won as a part-time advisory contract' and added, 'It wasn’t like I was receiving 5 million to 10 million won, but it must have looked quite pathetic, and I felt embarrassed.' He further noted, 'I thought that ordinary citizens, especially young people, might view it negatively, so I thought I should be more careful and attentive in the future.'
Criticism was also raised regarding the lack of expertise in veterans affairs. Kwon recalled during his opening statement, 'When I was the Secretary-General of the National Assembly, I planned an event to invite 6.25 war veterans to the National Assembly and held a musical screening about the independence movement. There are times when I meet taxi drivers who are the descendants of independence activists in the region.' In response, members of the People Power Party criticized, 'What is the connection between the musical screening event and meeting a taxi driver who is an independence activist regarding the expertise of the Minister of Veterans Affairs?'
The National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee held a confirmation hearing for Han Seong-suk, the Minister candidate for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The hearing primarily addressed the 'illicit sponsorship allegations surrounding Seongnam FC' and suspicion of improper gifting. The People Power Party claimed that President Lee Jae-myung’s nomination of Han, who is from Naver, qualifies as a 'bulletproof appointment.'
People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Dong-man asked, 'When the candidate was a vice president, didn't Naver decide to sponsor Seongnam FC with 4 billion won?' and questioned, 'Was the candidate involved?' In response, Han denied, saying, 'I was not in a position to know about that matter.'
The Democratic Party of Korea defended Han against allegations of improper gifting involving his mother living in an apartment he owns. Lawmaker Heo Seong-moo of the Democratic Party said, 'Even a successful person finds it hard to bear this much responsibility toward family,' adding, 'He acted as the eldest daughter. From a traditional family perspective, it's an unusually praiseworthy deed.'
The National Assembly's National Defense Committee sparked controversy over the 'militia background' of Ahn Kyu-baek, the Minister candidate for the Ministry of National Defense. People Power Party lawmaker Kang Sun-young pointed out, 'The defense minister candidate is the first from the militia in the history of the armed forces, and coincidentally, neither the president nor the prime minister served in the military,' and expressed the citizens' concerns that this might create a crisis in national security.
Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae remarked, 'I cannot stand the People Power Party, who have ties to insurrectionist forces, mentioning the militia background.' As intense discussions unfolded during the hearing, Commissioner Seong Il-jong of the People Power Party even temporarily announced the recess.
Ahn expressed that he understands the goal is to achieve the transfer of wartime operational control during the term of Lee Jae-myung’s government. He added, 'Since 2006, through the ROK-U.S. agreement and periodic evaluations, I understand that our military has achieved considerable results through strenuous efforts.'
The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee held a confirmation hearing for Kim Seong-hwan, the Minister candidate for the Ministry of Environment. Kim stated that in order to overcome the intermittency of renewable energy, he would include nuclear power in the 'energy mix.' Kim added, 'Reducing the intermittency of renewable energy and enhancing the safety of nuclear power while appropriately mixing the two should be the future of energy policy.'
During the confirmation hearing for Lim Kwang-hyun, the National Tax Service Commissioner candidate held by the Strategy and Finance Committee, issues surrounding 'favoritism' arose. The People Power Party pointed out that the law firm Lim worked for after leaving the National Tax Service recorded revenues of over 10 billion won.
People Power Party lawmaker Choi Eun-seok noted, 'The law firm in question, having been established for less than two years, recorded over 10 billion won in revenue, yet the accounts receivable were only about 100 million won,' and questioned, 'I cannot understand how they achieved such a revenue structure with advance payments or fixed income contracts in such a short period.'
In response to Choi's inquiry about the possibility of returning to the law firm after serving as National Tax Service Commissioner, Lim stated, 'There is no possibility of returning.' He further explained, 'People think I established the corporation, but that is not accurate,' and added, 'I was invited to participate.'