Yoon Young-seok: "Byun Chang-heum, I'm embarrassed for him... Moon should withdraw the nomination"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Byeon Chang-heum is arriving at the hearing preparation office set up at the Seoul Regional Land Management Office in the Government Complex Gwacheon on the morning of the 21st. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the 21st, Yoon Young-seok, a member of the People Power Party, commented on the controversy surrounding Byeon Chang-heum, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, saying, "I think it is right for President Moon Jae-in to withdraw the nomination."

On the same day, Yoon said on YTN Radio's 'Lee Dong-hyung's News Face-off,' "A public official must have integrity," adding, "In the case of a minister, they should be someone the public can respect and serve as a role model, but after seeing the meeting minutes, I am very ashamed," expressing his opinion.

He continued, "Having such a person as a minister nominee is a national embarrassment," and said, "I am very disappointed that President Moon Jae-in nominated such a person. Even now, to avoid disappointing the public, I think it is right for President Moon to withdraw the nomination."

In response, Lee Jae-jung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who appeared on the radio together, defended Byeon by saying, "I hope he makes more effort so that the sincerity of (Byeon's) apology can be accepted, and honestly, I am somewhat reserved," but Yoon again emphasized, "If the ruling party holds a confirmation hearing, Byeon will face a lot of attacks," adding, "Rather than shielding him, I think it would be better to recommend President Moon to withdraw the nomination to lessen the ruling party's burden."

Earlier, according to the office of Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, it was revealed late that while Byeon was serving as president of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) in 2016, he said during a meeting about the accident in which a non-regular worker named Kim was caught between trains while inspecting screen doors and died, "Actually, it was nothing, but if he (Kim) had been a little more careful, it could have been like nothing happened," which sparked controversy.

Also, during discussions about rental housing in 2016, it was revealed that he made a derogatory remark about tenants, saying, "Poor people cook at home; are they crazy to buy food?"

In response, on the 21st, Byeon apologized, saying, "Regardless of the intent of my remarks, I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt by me. As a public office candidate, I will reflect more deeply and act more responsibly," but controversy continues as allegations of false internship records for his eldest daughter have been raised.

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