Yeo: "Absolutely No Forcing of Park Soon-ae's Appointment... The Public Will Not Stand By Idly"

Holding a Personnel Verification TF Press Conference and Urging Prompt Approval
Democratic Party "Must Elect the Chairperson First"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea urged the holding of a confirmation hearing for Education Minister nominee Park Soon-ae, stating that "appointment without public verification is absolutely unacceptable."

The Democratic Party's Education Minister Nominee Personnel Verification Task Force held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 16th, stating, "We strongly demand active cooperation to ensure that the confirmation hearing process for nominee Park is conducted properly according to 'law and principles.'"

They said, "The allegations pouring in daily are becoming increasingly serious," adding, "In the past, the nominee's drunk driving while heavily intoxicated alone was a serious disqualification reason, but now there are issues such as refusal to disclose the eldest daughter's assets, repeated self-plagiarism of papers, stealing of students' theses, and suspiciously poor thesis reviews. Furthermore, the nonsensical explanations such as 'there is no problem because there is no benefit,' and the denial that two papers with identical core arguments and analytical frameworks are 'completely different papers'?these evasive explanations raise questions about whether the nominee is qualified to serve as a professor, let alone as a minister."

They emphasized the necessity of submitting materials. The Task Force stressed, "Since these controversies were discovered while nominee Park and related institutions are refusing to submit even basic materials, for fact verification and strict personnel screening that meets public expectations, it is essential that materials be actively submitted."

They also addressed Seoul National University, asking, "What is the reason for refusing to submit even general administrative data that does not contain personal information if it is related to nominee Park? Is it because the university president received a disciplinary request during the Ministry of Education audit for the first time since corporatization in 2011? Or is it because all the allegations against nominee Park so far are true and are being concealed?"

They pointed out, "Even based on the allegations so far, 63.9% hold an opinion that the nominee is unsuitable for the minister position," adding, "There are evaluations calling this a 'personnel disaster beyond a catastrophe.'" They continued, "Even the ruling party leader questions, 'Who recommended her?'" and warned, "If the appointment is forced ahead while avoiding public verification in this situation, Democratic Party lawmakers and, above all, the public will never stand by silently."

The confirmation hearing process for the nominee is currently delayed due to the unresolved negotiation over the organization of the National Assembly. Regarding this, Floor Leader Park Hong-geun said at a joint TF meeting held earlier at the National Assembly, "The organization of the Assembly and the confirmation hearing are connected, but if you really want to be properly verified, you can elect the Speaker first," emphasizing, "The law was prepared anticipating such situations." He added, "Rather, what President Yoon Seok-yeol should do is not wait for the Assembly organization and confirmation hearing but quickly settle the matter by voluntarily resigning or withdrawing the nomination," and said, "Finding a successor now and presenting a problem-free candidate is the way to serve the public and manage the situation."

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