Jung Sye-kyun Proposes "Coalition Cabinet" Formation to President... Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Separation of Powers Violation

Prime Minister nominee Jeong Sye-kyun attended the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 7th and took the witness oath. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kang Nahum and Wondara] Prime Minister nominee Jeong Se-gyun stated on the 7th that to break away from the conflict structure between the ruling and opposition parties, he plans to "actively propose to the President the formation of a 'cooperative cabinet' in which my party and others can participate together after the 21st general election."

During his opening remarks at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly that day, nominee Jeong said, "For political development, I will go beyond communication with the legislature and implement a practical model of cooperation."

He continued, "The government will create a business-friendly environment to serve as a catalyst for economic revitalization," adding, "I will devote myself to creating an environment where businesses want to operate through bold regulatory reforms."

He further stated, "In line with the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, I will make every effort to ensure that future new industries can fully bloom," and "I will promptly revise unnecessary or outdated regulations that do not fit social changes to rekindle economic vitality."

Additionally, he said, "Through innovative growth, we will create future sources of income and establish a foundation to resolve economic inequality and polarization by expanding a stronger social safety net."

From the start of the hearing, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over controversies regarding the separation of powers and the submission of materials.

Na Kyung-won, chairperson of the Special Committee on Personnel Hearings and member of the Korean Party, said, "Out of 722 requests for material submission, 344 have not been submitted. Although reasons based on relevant laws were presented, there are various disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the reasons for non-submission," adding, "The reasons for non-submission will be recorded in the personnel hearing report."

Rep. Na also said, "The fact that someone who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly is undergoing personnel verification by the legislature as a prime minister nominee significantly diminishes the importance of the legislature and undermines the separation of powers," calling it "a very unusual case and not a positive precedent."

Prime Minister nominee Jeong Sye-kyun attended the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 7th and exchanged greetings with Chairperson Na Kyung-won. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Kim Sang-hoon, member of the Korean Party, also expressed, "51% of the requested materials have not been submitted. I express serious regret," and added, "Materials related to suspicions should be submitted promptly so that the hearing can proceed normally."

Regarding the adoption of witnesses, he pointed out, "Kim, the representative of the nominee's support group and who established a ghost company in a tax haven, a key essential witness related to suspicions surrounding the nominee, was unable to attend due to a business trip to Vietnam until the day after the hearing."

Rep. Kim said, "The nomination of someone who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly as prime minister violates the constitutional spirit of the separation of powers," and "Furthermore, it is unfair for someone affiliated with a specific party to be appointed as a cabinet member in the year of a general election."

In response to such opposition pressure, Park Kyung-mi of the Democratic Party defended, saying, "Based on the materials submitted to the Prime Minister's Office, the submission rate was 44.1% for former leader Hwang and 40% for former nominee Lee Wan-koo. In contrast, nominee Jeong's submission rate reached 72.1%."

Democratic Party member Shin Dong-geun also said, "Before verifying the nominee's qualifications, morality, and policies, I am concerned that the hearing is turning into a reckless, smear campaign," and defended, "Rep. Kim Sang-hoon, who is the opposition party's secretary, posted original personal information about the nominee on his official website. This does not fall under parliamentary immunity."

Shin added, "Former Rep. Roh Hoe-chan lost his seat after posting a press release containing a list of 'bribe prosecutors' appearing in the Samsung X-file on his website, which was ruled not to be covered by parliamentary immunity," and argued, "According to this precedent, Rep. Kim Sang-hoon's case is a clear criminal act."

Regarding the controversy over the separation of powers, nominee Jeong said, "The prime minister nomination has nothing to do with the separation of powers. It is simply related to the protocol order listed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' protocol manual, which applies to incumbents," and added, "I am currently a member of the National Assembly, and no one treats me as second in protocol rank anywhere."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.