Shouting Matches at Kim Seung-won Hearing as Lawmakers Probe Lee Hyung-il's Real Estate Holdings
Hearings for three ministerial nominees of the Lee Jae-myung government's second cabinet were held simultaneously without witnesses at the National Assembly on the 15th, with a shouting match breaking out between ruling and opposition lawmakers at the confirmation hearing of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won. With no witnesses appearing for any of the three ministerial nominees, the day's hearings drew criticism as 'empty-shell hearings.' With the focus shifted from verifying nominees' competence to scrutinizing their moral fitness, clashes erupted throughout the three hearing rooms.
The hearing for Kim Seung-won erupted into conflict from the very outset over a social cooperative for caring for people with developmental disabilities where the nominee's spouse and children had worked. Rep. Ju Jin-woo of the People Power Party argued that benefits had been concentrated exclusively on students at the school where Kim's spouse serves as principal. Rep. Kim Nam-hee of the Democratic Party countered, saying, "I feel dismayed by the People Power Party's refusal to heed the cries of families of people with developmental disabilities." As the exchanges continued, Democratic Rep. Kim Dong-a, who did not have the floor, shouted "devil" at the People Power Party, and Rep. Ju fired back, shouting that "the ones who skim money from their families are the devils," throwing the hearing room into chaos.
On the suspicion that he had lobbied for approval of clinical trials for a new drug by Jenenshell, Kim launched a counterattack. Kim said that "during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, eleven prosecutors spent two years tearing the matter apart," characterizing the investigation at the time as politically motivated, and shot back at independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon, who had repeatedly raised the allegations, saying that "the circumstances under which prosecutorial materials were leaked to Rep. Han must be revealed."
At the same day's hearings for Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister nominee Lee Hyung-il and SMEs Minister nominee Lee So-young, both nominees' 'non-resident single-home' holdings came under scrutiny. For Lee Hyung-il, the focus was his apartment in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. He was criticized for owning the property for 17 years after purchase while actually residing there for only four months in total. People Power Rep. Park Soo-young pressed him, asking, "Can ordinary citizens understand a situation where someone merely moved their resident registration there for two months in 2012 and two months in 2018 and then left?" Fellow party member Rep. Lee Jong-wook said, "By the standards of the Lee Jae-myung government, the nominee would be classified as a textbook speculator." Lee explained that he had purchased the home for 420 million won, with a jeonse deposit of 110 million won, without taking out a loan. Democratic Rep. Moon Jin-seok said the gap between the purchase price and the jeonse price was too large for the deal to be seen as a typical 'gap investment,' while Rep. Ahn Do-geol came to his defense, saying, "On the matter of moral conduct, he appears to have managed his affairs meticulously."
Lee So-young's apartment in Hongje-dong, Seoul, was called into question on similar grounds. People Power Rep. Choi Soo-jin pointed out that the property yielded roughly 500 million won in gains during the seven years it went unoccupied after its 2016 purchase, saying it "runs counter to the tenets of the Lee Jae-myung government's real estate policy." Lee responded that "the government policy differentiates tax benefits for non-resident single-home owners; it is not a direct regulation." Fellow party member Rep. Yoon Han-hong raised suspicions of collusion, noting that the organization and donations of the incorporated nonprofit Climate Solution, which Lee helped found, grew rapidly after her election to the National Assembly, but Democratic Rep. Baek Hye-ryun defended her, saying Lee had never been involved in its actual operations or execution.
On the first day of 'confirmation hearing week' that began on the 15th, all three hearings concluded without witnesses, consumed by allegations and partisan bickering. The verification of the nominees' competence was relegated to the back seat, as the framework of routine personnel vetting showed signs of unraveling.
