11 Out of 19 Members of Yoon Government's First Cabinet Refuse to Disclose Children and Parents' Assets... Purpose Undermined

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Se-hee] Among the 19 members of the first-term cabinet under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, 11 have been found not to report the assets of their children, parents, or other family members. Most cited reasons such as independent livelihood or supporting others for refusing to disclose, but critics argue that this undermines the purpose of the public official verification system.

On the 21st, Asia Economy analyzed the asset disclosures of the 19 cabinet member nominees and found that more than half, 11 out of 19 nominees, refused to disclose the assets of their children or parents. The nominees and those whose disclosures were refused include: △Choo Kyung-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance nominee (mother and two children) △Kim In-chul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education nominee (mother) △Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs nominee (eldest son) △Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice nominee △Lee Jong-sup, Minister of National Defense nominee (eldest daughter) △Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety nominee (eldest son) △Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism nominee (eldest daughter) △Jung Hwang-geun, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs nominee (second daughter) △Lee Chang-yang, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy nominee (eldest daughter) △Han Hwa-jin, Minister of Environment nominee (mother and eldest daughter) △Cho Seung-hwan, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries nominee (eldest daughter). For parents, the reason given was supporting others, and for children, independent livelihood was cited.

According to Article 27-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Public Officials Ethics Act, direct ascendants or descendants who are capable of maintaining an independent livelihood may refuse to disclose their assets. The problem lies in the fact that this is left entirely to the discretion of the reporting obligation holder. Among the cabinet nominees, six, including Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee; Kwon Young-se, Minister of Unification nominee; and Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee, disclosed all assets of their children and parents.

Experts also advise the need to unify and apply a single standard. Professor Lee Hyang-su of Konkuk University’s Department of Public Administration said, "If some nominees disclose and others do not, controversies over objectivity and fairness may continue to arise," adding, "It is appropriate to apply one standard to everyone." He further stated, "Since ministerial nominees and high-ranking officials are public figures, it is desirable to transparently disclose a lot of information to the general public." Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy said, "It seems appropriate to disclose everything," but added, "However, in the case of adults, their right to choose should be respected, so there may be legal limitations."

The Ministry of Personnel Management stated that refusal to disclose assets is possible in principle, so it must be left to the individual choice of the reporting obligation holder. A ministry official said, "If both parents and children maintain independent livelihoods and have a monthly income above a certain amount, refusal to disclose is allowed," but added, "It is a situation where the reporting obligation holder can refuse disclosure based on their own judgment."

In the National Assembly, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, including Park Kwang-on, current chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party, and Song Seok-jun from the People Power Party, have proposed several amendments to the Public Officials Ethics Act to expand the scope of asset reporting and delete the refusal to disclose clause, but these remain pending in the standing committee. The Administrative Safety Committee, in its review report, stated, "It seems necessary to make a legislative policy decision through a comparative balancing of public and private interests, considering the positive aspects of establishing public ethics and enhancing public trust, and the protection of privacy and property rights of direct ascendants and descendants."

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