Shin Won-sik Personnel Hearing Report Resubmission Due Today... Yoon Likely to Proceed with Appointment

Deadline for resubmission by the 6th... Low possibility of opposition response
Yoo In-chon and Kim Haeng confirmation hearings also only confirm ruling and opposition differences

President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to soon appoint Shin Won-sik as Minister of National Defense. Although he requested the resubmission of the personnel hearing report by the 6th, the opposition party is very unlikely to respond. Besides Shin, the opposition party has judged Yoo In-chon, nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Kim Haeng, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, as unfit, making it unlikely that the hearing reports will be adopted. Therefore, President Yoon is also likely to push ahead with their appointments after requesting the resubmission of the hearing reports.

According to the presidential office and the ruling party on the day, President Yoon is reportedly planning to appoint Shin as Minister of National Defense and present the appointment letter as early as the weekend or early next week. If Shin is appointed, he will be the 18th ministerial-level official appointed without the adoption of a parliamentary hearing report under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Earlier, President Yoon sent the personnel hearing request for Shin to the National Assembly on the 15th of last month, and the National Defense Committee held a hearing on the 27th. According to the Personnel Hearing Act, the National Assembly must submit the hearing report to the government within 20 days from the date the hearing request is sent, but the deadline passed on the 4th without agreeing on the schedule for the full committee meeting to adopt the report. Consequently, President Yoon requested the resubmission of the personnel hearing progress report by the 6th.

Yoo In-chon, nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (from left), Kim Haeng, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and Shin Won-sik, nominee for Minister of National Defense, attended the second cabinet reshuffle briefing by Kim Dae-gi, Chief Presidential Secretary, held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 13th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Adoption of the hearing reports for nominee Yoo and nominee Kim is also practically impossible. The parliamentary hearings for the two nominees were held the previous day, but only conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties were confirmed. During Yoo’s hearing, opposition lawmakers raised suspicions of involvement in the cultural and artistic 'blacklist' during the Lee Myung-bak (MB) administration when Yoo served as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as well as allegations of tax evasion related to gift taxes on funds used by his two sons to purchase houses. Yoo countered by saying he was being pressured despite not being indicted and that he had paid the gift taxes and maintained independent livelihoods, so he could not submit the documents. During the exchange of questions about the blacklist allegations, lawmakers from the People Power Party mentioned Lee Jae-myung, the indicted leader of the Democratic Party, which led to a heated protest from Democratic Party lawmakers and a recess in the hearing.

Moreover, the hearing for nominee Kim ended in disruption. Opposition lawmakers focused on Kim’s so-called 'stock parking allegations' and 'breach of trust allegations,' demanding additional documents, which Kim refused to provide, leading to a standoff. Democratic Party member Kwon In-sook, chair of the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee, criticized, "If you maintain that attitude, you should resign. You need to prove that you did not commit any illegal acts, and you cannot refuse to provide documents." This led to exchanges of insults and loud arguments between ruling and opposition lawmakers, after which ruling party members said, "Let’s leave," and Kim gathered his documents and left the venue.

The ruling party holds the view that both sides should take mutual responsibility for the accumulation of cases where hearing reports are not adopted. A ruling party official said, "If a nominee’s qualifications are not suitable for high public office, the hearing report can include reasons for disqualification and be submitted to the government. The fact that nearly 20 hearing reports have not been adopted by the National Assembly means there are few high-ranking officials appointed through the usual process of parliamentary agreement. While the ruling party bears responsibility, the opposition party, which holds the majority, must also fulfill its responsibilities."

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