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[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon, Kwon Hyun-ji, Sejong=Reporter Son Seon-hee] As the confirmation hearings for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo and 18 ministerial nominees are scheduled consecutively until the 11th, the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to reach its peak. In particular, with the power shift between the ruling and opposition parties due to the regime change, it is analyzed that a full-scale power struggle has begun over the 'complete removal of prosecution investigation rights (Geomsu Wanbak)' and the presidential prerogative of pardons.

Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo attended the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 2nd and took the witness oath. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On the morning of the 2nd, Yoon Ho-jung, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party, said at the Emergency Committee meeting held before the confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han, "Looking at the 19 nominees (to form the cabinet), it looks more like a list of targets for prosecution investigation rather than a list for confirmation hearings," sharply criticizing them as a "bazaar of corruption."

Especially in this confirmation hearing for Prime Minister Han, which was postponed once due to insufficient submission of materials, he threatened, "We will thoroughly verify from the public's perspective," and at the same time announced, "We will swiftly push forward the 'Han Duck-soo Prevention Act' to prevent illicit gains through abuse of former officials."

Yoon Ho-jung, Co-Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 2nd and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the other hand, the People Power Party came to Han's defense. Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the morning meeting, "The confirmation hearing is a place where the National Assembly verifies whether a public office nominee is qualified to be a cabinet member on behalf of the people," and countered, "The Democratic Party should criticize with data and evidence, but should not engage in obstructionist verification or criticism for the sake of criticism."

At the hearing that day, nominee Han emphasized 'national unity' and 'people's livelihood' in his opening remarks. He said, "I am well aware that job shortages, housing instability, polarization issues, excessive and irrational regulations, and uncertainties in the international situation are pains standing at the cliff of life and death for the people and businesses," and added, "I will prioritize stabilizing the ordinary economy and mobilize all policy means."

Some expect that starting with this hearing, the confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition in the Yoon Seok-yeol government, which will be launched on the 10th with a minority ruling party, will intensify. After the complete removal of prosecution investigation rights, another round of disputes over pardons is expected to follow immediately.

In fact, in a survey released that day by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), 68.8% of respondents supported the pardon of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is mentioned as a candidate for pardon review. In contrast, support for pardoning former President Lee Myung-bak was 40.4%, former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo was 28.8%, and Professor Jung Kyung-shim, spouse of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, was 30.5%. (Commissioned by TBS, April 29-30, nationwide 1,012 respondents aged 18 and over, sampling error ±3.1 percentage points at 95% confidence level)

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