Ruling and Opposition Parties Battle Over Confirmation Hearings as 'Chuseok Public Sentiment' Strategy

Ministerial candidate confirmation hearings have become a battle over control of 'Chuseok public sentiment' between the ruling and opposition parties.

According to political circles on the 9th, the National Assembly has confirmed the schedule for confirmation hearings of 5 of the 6 ministerial candidates from the Aug. 30 cabinet reshuffle, excluding Yong Hye-in, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family.

On the 15th, Kim Seung-won, nominee for Minister of Justice, Lee Hyung-il, Deputy Prime Minister and nominee for Minister of Economy and Finance, and Lee So-young, nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startups, will simultaneously face scrutiny. On the 16th, confirmation hearings for Kang Shin-chul, nominee for Minister of Defense, and Hong Ji-sun, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will be held.

Just over a week before the Chuseok holiday, a so-called 'confirmation hearing super week' is unfolding.

Political maneuvering between the ruling and opposition parties has already begun.

The National Assembly's Judiciary and Legislation Committee passed the implementation plan for the confirmation hearing of Kim on that day, but clashed over the adoption of witnesses and reference persons.

The People Power Party submitted a list of 44 witnesses and 4 reference persons to the Democratic Party, arguing they must verify allegations including Kim's solicitation for approval of clinical trials for COVID-19 treatments. The Democratic Party countered that the ruling party was re-raising matters already concluded through investigation. Negotiators from both parties agreed to continue talks over the adoption of witnesses.

Currently, the opposition's offensive is concentrated on Kim and Yong as candidates.

The People Power Party is intensively raising allegations related to Kim's new drug-related suspicions and family-related scandals. Toward Yong, it is raising issues including the problem of holding both a ministerial position and a proportional representation National Assembly seat, and various controversies surrounding the Basic Income Party, while demanding a withdrawal of the nomination.

In Yong's case, even the hearing date has not been set.

The Democratic Party maintains that a hearing should be held between the 16th and 18th, completing confirmation hearings for all 6 ministerial candidates by the 18th at the latest.

Kim Seong-hoe, Democratic Party floor spokesperson, stated, "We keep saying around the 16th to 18th would be good, but the People Power Party keeps saying it should be pushed back, so negotiations are somewhat stalled."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party is insisting on holding it on the 21st—just one day before the Sept. 22nd deadline for confirmation hearings.

The Democratic Party suspects the People Power Party is deliberately scheduling the hearing as close to Chuseok as possible to prolong controversies surrounding Yong.

Lee Su-jin, Democratic Party member and floor negotiator for the Gender Equality and Family Committee, argued that the People Power Party's delay in setting the hearing date was "the idea of putting it on the Chuseok dinner table—deliberately not scheduling it and continuously pushing it back."

Kim Jung-jae, a People Power Party member, serves as chair of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee overseeing Yong's confirmation.

Analysts point out that the four-day difference disputed by the ruling and opposition parties reflects political calculations surrounding Chuseok public sentiment.

This year's Chuseok holiday begins on the 24th.

If the ministerial candidate hearings conclude with Yong on the 18th as the Democratic Party requests, five days would remain before the Chuseok holiday. The time would allow resolving controversies raised during the confirmation process while shifting the political focus to other agendas such as livelihoods and the economy.

Conversely, if Yong's hearing is held on the 21st as the People Power Party proposes, the Chuseok holiday would begin just two days later. If new suspicions or controversies emerge during the hearing, follow-up disputes could extend through the Chuseok holiday.

The President's appointment decision after the hearing is also a variable. Ministers do not require National Assembly consent, so after completing the confirmation process, appointment procedures can be carried out for each candidate. Even if the confirmation hearing report is not adopted, the President's appointment is possible if the legally prescribed procedures are followed.

If all hearings are completed by the 18th, the ruling bloc can secure time to settle personnel issues including the candidates' fates before Chuseok. Conversely, if the final hearing extends to the 21st, Yong's hearing results and appointment decision itself could remain a political issue through just before Chuseok.

Political circles observe that the Democratic Party intends to expedite the confirmation process to shift to other agendas before Chuseok, while the People Power Party is concentrating firepower on controversial candidates to extend the personnel verification process through just before Chuseok.

In fact, the People Power Party reportedly is even considering extending the hearing by an additional day if it agrees to hold Yong's confirmation hearing on the 18th.

Ultimately, the 'confirmation hearing super week' beginning on the 15th is expected to start with Kim and conclude with Yong. The political struggle over public sentiment between the ruling party seeking to quickly conclude the confirmation process and fill the Chuseok dinner table with other agendas and the opposition seeking to extend personnel disputes through just before Chuseok is expected to intensify further.