Kang Sunwoo Holds Out, Ruling Party Defends...Opposition Urges Overhaul of "Empty Confirmation Hearing System"

"Lee Administration's Confirmation Hearings Undermined"
Calls Grow for Mandatory Submission of Materials,
Strengthened Policy Verification, and Reform of the Confirmation Hearing System

As confirmation hearings for cabinet minister nominees in the early days of the Lee Jaemyung administration have been marred by disruptions, there is a growing call to reform the hearing system. Critics argue that measures such as mandatory submission of materials are needed to prevent so-called "empty hearings," where there are no witnesses or references and documentation is insufficient.

On July 23, Kim Heejeong, Kim Eunhye, and Seo Myeongok, members of the People Power Party, held a forum at the National Assembly titled "Is It Okay for the Lee Jaemyung Administration's Confirmation Hearings to Be Rendered Ineffective?" to diagnose the problems and suggest improvements to the hearing system.

Yonhap News Agency

Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the forum, "President Lee Jaemyung is attempting to push ahead with the appointment of Kang Sunwoo, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who is even less qualified than Lee Jinsook, nominee for Minister of Education." He added, "By making appointments that do not meet public expectations, the administration is undermining the confirmation hearings." Kim Heejeong also emphasized, "During this hearing, nominees failed to submit key documents and repeatedly lied or gave false testimony, which left us feeling powerless. The problems must be addressed by amending the Confirmation Hearing Act."

Experts recommended that the obligation to submit materials for nominee vetting should be made mandatory. Currently, if a nominee refuses to submit documents citing personal information, there is no way to compel them. Son Byeongkwon, a professor at Chung-Ang University, said, "It is necessary to either strengthen a U.S.-style pre-vetting system led by the White House or require the submission of basic vetting materials."

There were also calls to strengthen the verification of policy capabilities. Since the current hearings focus heavily on candidates' morality, some suggested splitting the process into a closed-door ethics hearing and a public competency hearing. Additionally, to better assess policy capabilities, experts recommended expanding the participation of specialists or extending the duration of the hearings.

Some pointed out the need to ensure that the adoption of confirmation hearing reports is legally binding. In the case of Cabinet members, the president often proceeds with appointments even if the National Assembly does not adopt the hearing report, thereby neutralizing the Assembly's oversight function. Kim Hyeongjun, a distinguished professor at Paichai University, argued, "At a minimum, for key public officials such as Cabinet members, the law should be strengthened so that appointments cannot be made unless the National Assembly's confirmation hearing report is adopted."

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