Opposition: "Controversy over qualifications of 5 minister candidates... Concerns over whether Cheong's personnel screening has collapsed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 4th, when the confirmation hearings for five ministries were held, the People Power Party raised doubts about the qualifications of the five ministerial candidates. The People Power Party pointed out, "It is noisy with suspicions and controversies surrounding the candidates even before they come under full-scale scrutiny," and "It is worrisome to the extent that the Blue House's personnel verification system may have collapsed."

Park Jun-young, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, appeared at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 4th and responded to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Yoon Hee-seok, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement that "Park Jun-young, the candidate for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, apologized belatedly, claiming he did not know that his spouse's porcelain smuggling was illegal," and criticized, "Is Park, who did not even know that his family's smuggling was wrong, qualified to lead the Korea Coast Guard, whose main task is smuggling control?"

Regarding Im Hye-sook, the candidate for Minister of Science and Technology, he pointed out, "There are allegations of plagiarism in papers, appointment of disqualified persons, and controversy over disguised residence transfer," and added, "It was revealed that she took her two daughters and husband along on a government-funded business trip, and there are also allegations of tax evasion due to a real estate under-the-table contract."

Regarding Noh Hyung-wook, the candidate for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, he criticized, "Following his own real estate controversy, there are allegations that his second son fraudulently received unemployment benefits, and it was revealed that his spouse received a fine for theft," and questioned, "If he cannot even properly manage his family matters, is he qualified as the person in charge of establishing and adjusting the comprehensive national land plan?"

Spokesperson Yoon said, "Regarding Moon Seung-ok, the candidate for Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, there are suspicions of evading gift tax on children’s inheritance and controversy over benefits as a master officer, and Ahn Kyung-duk, the candidate for Minister of Employment and Labor, is involved in a controversy for being included in the list of holiday gifts from a company that was granted immunity in a worker death accident."

He criticized, "They fall far short of the public's expectations to be called ministerial candidates forming the cabinet," and added, "There is no will for government renewal and reform, and it cannot be erased that this reshuffle feels like a forced one at the end of the term."

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