Opposition lawmakers have stepped up scrutiny of six ministerial nominees in President Lee Jae-myung's government ahead of confirmation hearings. The opposition has raised allegations that Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won lobbied the drug safety agency, followed by claims that Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in engaged in short-term property flipping. Criticism of Yong has come even from within the ruling bloc, where some have called her an inappropriate choice.
The People Power Party focused on the drug agency lobbying allegations against Kim on the 2nd. Kim, then a first-term lawmaker, is said to have contacted Kim Ganglip, who was head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety at the time, in 2021 at the request of a broker surnamed Yang, asking him to look into a specific pharmaceutical company's clinical trial for a COVID-19 treatment. Prosecutors investigated Kim on charges of promising a bribe for brokering favors and issued a suspended indictment in December 2024.
The case resurfaced after it emerged that Kim had sent a text message the previous day to Seo Young-kyo, chair of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, saying, "Even the court denied that there was any quid pro quo, yet prosecutors issued a suspended indictment — that is the core argument of the constitutional appeal," and adding, "I am sorry."
The People Power Party criticized the circumstances of the nominee's contact with the drug safety chief, the clinical trial approval process and the relationship between those events and an attempted political donation. Choi Eun-suk, the party's chief floor spokesperson, called for Kim to step down, saying, "A suspended indictment is neither a finding of no charges nor an acquittal. With a matter of this scale, he should have declined the post himself or been screened out during the presidential office's vetting process."
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon also released the contents of text messages related to the drug agency lobbying allegations and pressed Kim, asking, "Did you send a text message requesting help in getting clinical approval for a COVID-19 treatment?"
The controversy surrounding Yong has spread to property transactions. According to People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo, Yong bought a multi-unit home in Sa-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, for 245 million won in April 2021 and sold it for 265 million won 11 months later in March 2022. Joo said Yong sold the property to a Chinese national and pocketed a 20 million won gain, arguing, "She has called for an end to unearned income from real estate, yet she herself engaged in short-term trading."
It also emerged from the Basic Income Party's financial reports that Yong's husband, Park Ki-hong, head of the party's strategic planning office, received about 3 million won a month. Opposition figures criticized the arrangement, calling it "not the Basic Income Party but the Family Income Party." A conservative civic group filed a police complaint accusing Yong of abuse of authority over a controversy involving her use of a VIP lounge at Gimpo International Airport in March 2023, when she went there for a family trip.
Arriving for her first day at the ministry, Yong declined to address the allegations, repeating that she would explain them at her confirmation hearing. Asked whether she would give up her proportional representation seat, she said, "I will organize my thoughts during the hearing process and speak to the public," adding, "I am listening to the many concerns and worries being raised."
Criticism of Yong has also come from within the ruling party. Democratic Party lawmaker Song Young-gil said on the radio that day, "There are doubts about what appeal this person really has for people in their 20s and 30s," adding, "It will not be easy for public sentiment to accept." One female Democratic Party lawmaker said, "In this reshuffle, she appears to be serving as cannon fodder," and asked, "Isn't this a case that shows the Gender Equality Ministry does not have much of a role in this government?"
Scrutiny of the other nominees is also intensifying. Hong Ji-sun, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, has come under attack from the People Power Party over her basic housing plan, which is linked to the Lee government's housing supply policy. The party said Hong, as the architect of the basic housing model, has pushed a structure in which the state supplies housing and residents lease it for extended periods, and it signaled that it would scrutinize the policy. Joo raised allegations of favorable jeonse terms on a Gangnam apartment against Supreme Court justice nominee Kim Sung-soo, claiming there were financial favors in the arrangement under which Kim has lived since 2021 in Dogok Rexle in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul — a property valued at 1.9 billion won — on a lease deposit of 350 million won.
The rival parties agreed through their standing committee floor managers that day on a schedule for the confirmation hearings, setting the hearing for Lee So-young, nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startups, on the 15th and Hong's on the 16th. The Democratic Party plans to complete confirmation procedures for the six ministerial nominees before the Chuseok holiday. The hearing for Lee Hyoung-il, nominee for deputy prime minister and minister of finance and economy, is likely to be held on the 16th, with Kim Seung-won's on the 18th. Hearings for Yong and Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul are under discussion for sometime between the 14th and 18th.
