Confirmation hearings for six Cabinet nominees named in the Lee Jae Myung government's Aug. 30 reshuffle are set to be held in a series of National Assembly sessions between Sept. 14 and Sept. 18.
According to political sources Wednesday, the hearing for Lee So-young, nominee for minister of SMEs and startups, is scheduled for Sept. 15. The Assembly's Industry, Trade, Resources, SMEs and Startups Committee plans to hold a plenary session next week to adopt the implementation plan for her hearing.
The Fiscal and Economic Planning Committee and the Land and Transport Committee have each agreed to hold hearings on Sept. 16 — for Lee Hyeong-il, nominee for deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, and Hong Ji-seon, nominee for minister of land, infrastructure and transport, respectively. The Legislation and Judiciary Committee is in talks to hold the hearing for Kim Seung-won, nominee for minister of justice, on Sept. 18.
Hearings for Kang Shin-cheol, nominee for minister of national defense, and Yong Hye-in, nominee for minister of gender equality and family, are still being coordinated within their respective standing committees, with dates to fall between Sept. 14 and Sept. 18.
Political sparring ahead of the hearings is intensifying. The Democratic Party of Korea has set a goal of completing the confirmation process for all Cabinet nominees before the Chuseok holiday and is pressing for the hearings to proceed quickly. The People Power Party, meanwhile, is gearing up for tough scrutiny of Kim and Yong in particular.
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
