Before the Confirmation Hearing, Another Power Struggle Between the Ruling and Opposition Parties

5 Ministers and Prime Minister Candidate Kim Bu-gyeom's Confirmation Hearing
Opposition Kim Ki-hyun "Nomination Should Be Withdrawn" vs Ruling Party Park Jin-young "Should We Import a Prime Minister from Switzerland?"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] On the 4th, confirmation hearings will be held for ministerial candidates from five ministries including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and on the 6th and 7th for Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum. This National Assembly confirmation hearing, held 10 months before the presidential election, is attracting attention as it is the first test stage after both ruling and opposition parties have newly formed their leadership teams.

Kim Ki-hyun, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, criticized the qualifications of Prime Minister nominee Kim on the morning of the 3rd, immediately after the emergency committee meeting. Regarding nominee Kim, he said, "How can the person who is to be the head of the cabinet ahead of the presidential election be a former Democratic Party lawmaker who ran for party leader and lost?" and added, "I thought from the beginning that the nomination should be withdrawn." For Kim, who took office as floor leader on the 30th of last month, this confirmation hearing is regarded as the first stage to assess his political skills.

The People Power Party consistently maintained that the ministerial candidates lack qualifications. Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, strongly criticized the confirmation hearings in a statement that day, calling it a "display of double standards" and saying, "Most of these ministerial candidates are below the level to gain the opposition party's consent for appointment." He pointed out allegations such as the smuggling of ceramics by the spouse of Park Jun-young, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, tax exemption suspicions on apartments related to nominee Noh Hyung-wook for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and plagiarism allegations against nominee Lim Hye-sook for Minister of Science and Technology, stating, "The People Power Party will clearly deliver a 'disqualification verdict' in the name of the people against candidates found unqualified in this hearing," and added, "Ministerial candidates who receive a disqualification verdict should resign."

In response, Park Jin-young, full-time deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party, targeted Kim Ki-hyun on Facebook that day, saying, "This is the first time I've heard someone say they cannot agree with a prime minister nominee because they ran for party leader." He sarcastically remarked, "Because of this strange insistence on neutrality, it seems we might have to import a prime minister from a small neutral country like Switzerland."

Since the Democratic Party newly formed its leadership through the party convention the day before, it is holding back on comments regarding the confirmation hearings. However, Song Young-gil, the newly elected party leader of the Democratic Party, extended an olive branch to Kim Ki-hyun, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, during the highest council meeting he presided over for the first time after his election, saying, "I hope we can continue to see Kim Ki-hyun’s smiling face that makes the opponent feel good." He further stated, "In the face of a national crisis, let us unite the power of both ruling and opposition parties," which is interpreted as a subtle call for cooperation with the opposition party.

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