Moon’s comments trigger debate over parliamentary confirmation hearing system

Comments made by President Moon Jae-in have triggered debate over the effectiveness of the National Assembly confirmation hearing system for ministers and other ranking government officials.

Moon said during a special address at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, to mark the fourth anniversary of his inauguration, that the current system, usually led by the opposition, is being misused to humiliate nominees rather than reviewing whether the candidates are good fits for the jobs.

Late last month, the President named his nominees for prime minister and five Cabinet members. But Moon’s pick for Land Minister, Noh Hyeong-ouk, as well as Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook and Oceans Minister nominee Park Junyoung, have been embroiled in controversies over their respective ethical lapses. During the speech, Moon said that the three nominees are good fits for the jobs, considering their expertise and career backgrounds. The National Assembly turned down Moon’s request to approve their nominations by Monday, the legal deadline after their hearings. Moon made another request to the National Assembly, Tuesday, to approve the nominations by Friday.

“With the current confirmation hearing system which focuses on humiliating the nominees, we cannot appoint good candidates who are fit for the jobs,” Moon said during a press conference following the speech. “The part of verifying the moral standards of nominees is important, but we could do that separately at a closed hearing while making the public hearing focus on the verification of the nominee’s capabilities and policy plans, so that we could effectively weigh the two parts together.”

Along with the President’s call to improve the confirmation system, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) issued a similar message, urging the improvement of the system before the inauguration of the next president.

DPK’s chief spokesman, Rep. Koh Young-jin, told reporters that the party leadership discussed the matter at a closed-door Supreme Council meeting. In June of 2020, DPK Rep. Hong Young-pyo had proposed a law to revise the parliamentary confirmation hearing system in such a direction.

However, opponents claim that open confirmation hearings have often played the role of sorting out unqualified nominees, saying private hearings could infringe on the public’s right to information.

The conflict over the nominations of ministers is expected to continue, as not only the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), but other opposition parties, including the liberal minor opposition Justice Party, have been strongly protesting the nomination of the three candidates, citing their ethical lapses.