"Quarantine Policies and Pension Reform Both at a Standstill" ... Prolonged Vacancy in the Ministry of Health and Welfare Minister Position

Concerns Over Disruptions in Health and Welfare Policies Amid Absence of Control Tower
Nominee Kim Seung-hee Faces Allegations of Political Fund Law Violations Following Gap Investment and Illegal Gift Transfers

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] More than a month has passed since the new government took office, but the Minister of Health and Welfare has yet to be appointed, prolonging the vacancy in the quarantine control tower. Discussions on pressing health and welfare issues such as the reorganization of the infectious disease response system and reform of the National Pension have not even begun, raising concerns about setbacks in major policy decisions, including the new government's national agenda.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Assembly on the 13th, as the ruling and opposition parties continue to struggle over the organization of the National Assembly, the confirmation hearing for Kim Seung-hee, the nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare, is increasingly likely to be 'passed over.' If the hearing deadline for nominee Kim, which is until the 19th, expires, the president can request the National Assembly to resend the confirmation hearing report within 10 days and then proceed with the appointment forcibly.

With the prolonged absence of the head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the quarantine authorities are expected to make key quarantine policy decisions, such as whether to lift the isolation requirement for COVID-19 confirmed cases, without a minister.

Following the government's downgrade of COVID-19's legal infectious disease classification from Level 1 to Level 2 last month, discussions on whether to lift the isolation requirement are scheduled to be held and announced within this week. The isolation requirement for confirmed cases was originally planned to be lifted on the 23rd of last month but was extended by another four weeks.

If the isolation requirement is lifted, national support for confirmed cases' living support expenses, treatment costs, and paid leave expenses will be reduced or discontinued. Although the daily number of new confirmed cases has dropped below 10,000, experts point out that such changes in the quarantine system could have considerable impact amid concerns about a possible resurgence this fall. Urgent issues also include responses to newly emerging infectious diseases such as monkeypox, as well as establishing treatment and isolation standards.

Attention is also focused on whether the Presidential Transition Committee's '100-Day Emergency COVID-19 Response Roadmap' will be implemented. Initially, the committee planned to carry out 34 practical tasks in the health and medical fields within 100 days of the administration's launch, by mid-August, many of which are led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Urgent tasks such as 'adding more than 1,400 emergency COVID-19 treatment beds' and 'surveying antibody positivity rates among 10,000 citizens' have yet to make progress.

Additionally, the campaign promise to establish a presidential 'Public Pension Reform Committee' and present a pension reform blueprint within the term remains stalled.

Meanwhile, within the Democratic Party and others, the dominant opinion is that nominee Kim is 'unqualified.' During her time as a member of the National Assembly in October 2019, Kim reportedly said to former President Moon Jae-in, "Forgetfulness is an early symptom of dementia," which led to her being reported to the National Assembly Ethics Committee.

Furthermore, in 2012, while serving as Deputy Commissioner of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (now the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety), she leased an apartment in Sejong City, which she acquired through a special public official supply, for five years before selling it and reportedly earning more than 100 million won in capital gains, raising suspicions of 'gap investment.' Kim's eldest daughter is also under suspicion of 'illegal gifting' after purchasing an apartment in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, from her maternal grandmother for 460 million won in 2019 and then leasing it out for 360 million won in jeonse (key money deposit). Additionally, Kim faces allegations of violating the Political Funds Act by repainting a rental car used as an official vehicle during her time as a lawmaker with political funds and then purchasing it personally.

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