The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee adopted the confirmation hearing report for Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won on the 17th, pushed through by the Democratic Party of Korea. The ruling party used its parliamentary majority to force the measure through even though allegations surrounding Kim were left unresolved at the hearing two days earlier and more than half of the public opposes his appointment. People Power Party lawmakers walked out in protest when the item was put on the agenda. The opposition party, objecting to moves to press ahead with the appointment, canceled meetings of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee. Both parties deserve criticism for abandoning the National Assembly's core function.
The ruling party has reduced the confirmation hearing — a process meant to vet a nominee's qualifications and integrity — to a formality for rubber-stamping the president's pick. The Democratic Party accepted none of the opposition's requests for witnesses or expert testimony, and the hearing ended after nothing more than the nominee's own explanations, delivered amid a barrage of invective. The People Power Party, for its part, boycotted standing committee meetings that should have taken up major national issues such as housing and trade. One has to ask whether it is normal for the legislature to grind to a halt over a single ministerial nominee. The greater share of the blame lies with the Democratic Party, which staged a hollow hearing and then immediately forced through the report.
Public sentiment on Kim is unmistakable. In a survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute, 52.1% opposed his appointment, more than double the 25.1% who supported it. Even the progressive civic group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy found him unfit, citing drunk driving and the false registration of his children's addresses as serious disqualifying grounds. Discrepancies between his answers at the hearing and past court records have also raised questions of perjury. The Democratic Party nevertheless said there were "no serious disqualifying grounds," and the presidential office appears to view much of the suspicion as having been addressed. The pledge to "judge based on the standards the public expects" now rings hollow.
It now falls to President Lee Jae-myung, who holds the power of appointment, to resolve what he started. He should state a clear position on the Kim issue at his news conference on the 18th. Dismissing the allegations as a political offensive, or pressing ahead with the appointment on the strength of the adopted hearing report, risks a public backlash. He should withdraw Kim's nomination and overhaul a vetting system whose failures have been exposed. Pulling back an appointment that runs against public sentiment would be the starting point for restoring trust in a government shaken by controversies over the withdrawal of indictments and a constitutional amendment on presidential reelection.
