Amid Controversies Surrounding Successive Ministerial Nominees, Yoon Says "Please Judge at the Hearing"... Will This Be an Opportunity to Clear Doubts?

Welfare Minister Nominee Jeong Ho-young Faces Successive Allegations of 'Special Treatment for Children' and 'Military Service Corruption'
Han Deok-su's 'High Salary', Kim In-cheol's 'Behavior Controversy', Kim Hyun-sook's 'Public Opinion Manipulation' Allegations
Justice Party: "'Merit-Based Appointment' Is Nowhere to Be Seen"... Growing Criticism of Yoon Seok-yeol's First Cabinet Selection
Yoon's Side on Jeong Ho-young Allegations: "Please Judge at the National Assembly Hearing"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the President-elect, answering reporters' questions [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Various allegations surrounding the first cabinet nominees of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration have consecutively come under scrutiny. The team of President-elect Yoon stated regarding Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jeong Ho-young’s 'special treatment for children' allegations, "Please judge at the National Assembly hearing," effectively expressing their intention to proceed with the appointment, drawing attention to the confirmation hearings.

Jeong, who has been at the center of controversy over his children’s medical school transfers and military service exemptions?so-called 'dad’s chance'?has taken a 'direct breakthrough' approach. After a press conference on the 17th, as allegations continued to arise daily, Jeong emphasized on the 19th at the National Pension Service Chungjeongno building in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, "There has never been a single case of moral, illegal, or improper conduct regarding my children’s matters."

He stated, "So far, not a single allegation has revealed illegal or improper conduct. Although numerous allegations have been raised, all have been found to be either untrue or without issue," adding, "Kyungpook National University also requested an audit from the Ministry of Education, confirming no problems in the transfer process, and I heard the Ministry of Education is reviewing the audit."

Regarding his son’s military service issue, Jeong said, "If the National Assembly designates a medical institution as soon as possible, I will have him undergo a re-examination immediately. I earnestly request prompt action." He expressed his willingness to actively cooperate to resolve the allegations concerning his children’s medical school transfers and military service.

Jung Ho-young, nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, is clarifying recent allegations related to his children at a press conference held on the 17th at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jeong is facing allegations of favoritism in the medical school transfers of his daughter and son while serving as a senior official at Kyungpook National University Hospital. It was revealed that professors at Kyungpook National University College of Medicine, who gave perfect scores during his daughter’s oral exam in a specific examination room, had personal connections with Jeong. In response, the Health and Welfare Minister nominee’s confirmation hearing preparation team explained that there were four other students who also received perfect scores in that examination room, indicating no favoritism.

Regarding the son’s transfer favoritism allegations, the preparation team stated, "The son received high scores of 28, 28, 28, 26, and 24 points from five other judges involved in the document screening, so it is difficult to view his scores as exceptionally higher than others."

On the suspicious change in his son’s military service grade from 2nd grade in 2010 to 4th grade in 2015, Jeong explained, "In 2013, while attending university, his left leg was uncomfortable, so an MRI was taken at Kyungpook National University Hospital, revealing spinal stenosis. In 2015, he received notification for a re-examination, and another MRI was conducted at the Military Manpower Administration-designated hospital, Kyungpook National University Hospital. For an accurate diagnosis, a CT scan was performed on-site, and the military service evaluation doctor personally assigned the 4th grade. Three different doctors participated in the diagnosis."

The controversy is not limited to Jeong. Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo was confirmed to have received a high salary as an advisor at Kim & Chang law firm after retiring from public office, and Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister nominee Kim In-cheol is also facing criticism for inappropriate behavior during his tenure as president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and for conducting so-called 'family environment investigations' into students’ parents’ occupations.

In response to such criticism, Han’s team stated on the 19th regarding the 'high advisory fees after retirement' controversy, "The nominee is an economist with master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University and has worked at the forefront of economic and trade policy for 42 years, with extensive experience at international organizations such as the WTO and OECD," adding, "Considering this, his salary may differ from that of general public officials in economic departments." The Education Minister nominee’s confirmation hearing preparation team also released two explanatory documents on the 19th, clarifying that the 'family environment investigation' allegations "originated from the deputy minister directly approving and implementing it."

Meanwhile, it was revealed late that Women and Family Minister nominee Kim Hyun-sook was investigated for allegedly manipulating public opinion on labor issues by mobilizing conservative youth groups while serving as the employment and welfare secretary at the Blue House during the Park Geun-hye administration. Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin was reported to have a son working as an executive at an overseas gambling site operator.

Regarding these controversies, Kim’s confirmation hearing preparation team stated on the 18th, "Much of the content in the Employment and Labor Administration Reform Committee’s activity report is significantly different from the actual facts," adding, "Therefore, we understand that the prosecution re-investigated the facts and dismissed the charges." They further said, "More detailed explanations will be provided during the hearing."

Additionally, the Foreign Minister nominee’s confirmation hearing task force explained on the 19th, "The nominee’s eldest son has been working at NSUS Group, a legally operating Canadian company developing and managing game software platforms since December 2018, and is not involved in any illegal gambling site operations."

As a result, criticism of President-elect Yoon’s appointments is intensifying. The Justice Party stated at a leadership meeting on the 18th, "'Merit-based appointments' are nowhere to be seen, and it seems like a club of close aides, 40-year-old friends, high school juniors, and academic seniors," adding, "Some ministerial nominees are embroiled in various allegations even before the hearings begin, causing public outrage. The Justice Party demands the withdrawal of four nominees (Han Dong-hoon for Minister of Justice, Jeong Ho-young for Minister of Health and Welfare, Kim In-cheol for Minister of Education, and Kim Hyun-sook for Minister of Women and Family)."

On the afternoon of the 14th, a full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee was held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As the controversy grew, President-elect Yoon’s team stated regarding Jeong, "It would be good if the National Assembly hearing judges whether he is a suitable candidate meeting the public’s expectations." Spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin emphasized at a briefing on the 18th, "Jeong said, 'If problems arise, I will request an investigation,' so it would be good to observe the verification at the National Assembly hearing," indicating a cautious stance on the dismissal of ministerial nominees, believing the allegations could be resolved through the confirmation hearings.

The National Assembly confirmation hearing system is designed to verify the morality and competence of public office nominees, but it has been criticized for turning into a 'political battleground' by focusing solely on allegations rather than confirming expertise. Excessive attempts to find faults with nominees during hearings have also been criticized as public character assassination.

Moreover, even if allegations raised during hearings are not sufficiently clarified, the president cannot be prevented from forcibly appointing ministerial nominees, leading to arguments that the confirmation hearings are ineffective. Except for 23 public offices such as the Prime Minister, whose appointment is decided by a National Assembly vote, the president can appoint prosecutors general, police chiefs, cabinet members, and ministers regardless of the National Assembly’s consent. Cases where the president forcibly appointed nominees despite the hearing report not being adopted include 34 under the Moon Jae-in administration, 10 under Park Geun-hye, 17 under Lee Myung-bak, and 3 under Roh Moo-hyun.

Experts pointed out the double standards of the ruling and opposition parties regarding confirmation hearings. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "The Democratic Party seems to adopt a strategy of damaging candidates based on media reports," adding, "In fact, confirmation hearings are meant to verify policy capability and morality, but there is a difference in stance when in the ruling party versus the opposition. Because of this, a two-track strategy of conducting morality verification privately and policy verification publicly has been consistently discussed but ultimately not implemented."

He continued, "In the case of ministerial nominees, the president can appoint without National Assembly consent," adding, "However, if President-elect Yoon pushes through appointments while his approval rating is not high, it could negatively affect his support even more."

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