Critics blame Cheong Wa Dae for lax vetting of controversial ministerial nominees

Yong Hye-in resigned from her nomination for Minister of Gender Equality and Family after Cheong Wa Dae did not foresee her insistence on retaining a proportional-representation seat, leading the Democratic Party to forgo a confirmation hearing entirely. The party’s leader, Kim Min-seok, reportedly pressured her to withdraw, citing public criticism of her self-serving stance. Justice-minister hopeful Kim Seung-won is slated for a hearing that many view as a hollow exercise, with the ruling party dismissing all opposition-requested witnesses.

Seo Young-kyo, chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, argued that a nominee need only testify personally. Reports connect Kim to a broker surnamed Yang, a judge who once rejected an arrest warrant for a major drug-company shareholder, and alleged stock-price manipulation tied to clinical-trial approvals, all of which should have been flagged during vetting.