Lee Dong-gwan Hearing 'Boycott' Rumors?… Ruling Party "No Impact" Opposition "Must Have Been Desperate"

Hong Seok-jun "No knockout punch against Lee Dong-gwan"
Park Sung-joong "Isn't he lacking confidence?"
Jo Seung-rae "No boycott discussion, but how desperate must it be"
Jeon Yong-gi "High possibility of a bland hearing"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's nomination of Lee Dong-gwan, Special Advisor for External Cooperation at the Presidential Office, as the new Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission has sparked speculation that the opposition party might even 'boycott the confirmation hearing.' In response, the ruling party countered by saying, "There is no strong point against this nominee." The opposition denied discussing a boycott but criticized the nominee, saying, "If things are this bad, no wonder boycott talks are coming up."

Hong Seok-joon, a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee from the People Power Party, said on MBC's Kim Jong-bae's Focus on the View on the 31st, "We will continue to persuade the Democratic Party until the end and ask them to hold the confirmation hearing together," adding, "If they boycott, it is because there is no strong point against this special advisor."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to political circles, the Presidential Office is expected to submit the nominee's appointment consent bill to the National Assembly during the move. According to the Personnel Hearing Act, the confirmation hearing must be completed within 20 days after submission, so there is a high possibility that the hearing will be held around mid-next month. However, due to opposition to the nominee's appointment, some in the opposition party are even discussing a boycott of the hearing.

Park Sung-joong, the ruling party's secretary of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said on CBS's Kim Hyun-jung's News Show, "We know that the Democratic Party is even considering the boycott card, and that itself shows they lack confidence in the confirmation hearing. That's how we see it." Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, said on SBS's Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show, "It is the Democratic Party's cowardly avoidance strategy," adding, "If the hearing is held and they cannot properly raise issues, the Democratic Party's very reason for existence will face great difficulties. So, as a cowardly avoidance strategy, they are taking the step of suggesting a boycott of the hearing."

The opposition party stated that there was no discussion of a boycott and that it was merely an 'expression of sentiment' by some within the party. Jo Seung-rae, the Democratic Party's secretary of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said on MBC Radio, "There was no discussion of a boycott," adding, "The day before, when our party's Secretary-General Cho Jung-sik mentioned extraordinary measures, the media asked if that meant they were even considering a boycott, and the answer was that they were not considering that."

However, he added, "If things are this bad, no wonder talks of a boycott come up," and said, "This is an expression of sentiment that the nominee, who should not even be brought to a hearing after thorough verification, is being brought to the hearing."

There is also an argument that the boycott is to prevent a 'meaningless hearing.' Jeon Yong-gi, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said on YTN's News King with Park Ji-hoon, "Why would there be talk of a boycott? According to what the People Power Party is claiming, there are many opinions that no evidence or materials need to be submitted for the hearing," adding, "There is a high possibility that this nominee will hold a 'meaningless hearing' by hardly submitting any materials, so some are saying this might go wrong and that a boycott might be justified."

Seol Joo-wan, the Democratic Party's Deputy Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, also said on SBS Radio, "Didn't we recently have the confirmation hearing for Kim Young-ho, the Minister of Unification nominee? He did not submit materials and kept repeating, 'I cannot disclose personal matters' when asked questions," adding, "This nominee's confirmation hearing will likely be a carbon copy of that, so there was even a suggestion from some quarters that it might be better to boycott it."

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