Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Confirmation Hearings for Control of 'Chuseok Table' Public Sentiment

Confirmation hearings for cabinet nominees have escalated into a power struggle between the ruling and opposition parties over control of 'Chuseok table' public sentiment.

According to political circles on the 9th, the National Assembly has confirmed the schedule for confirmation hearings of five out of six cabinet nominees from the Aug. 30 cabinet reshuffle, excluding Yong Hye-in, candidate for Minister of Gender Equality and Family.

On September 15, Kim Seung-won, candidate for Minister of Justice; Lee Hyung-il, Deputy Prime Minister and candidate for Minister of Economy and Finance; and Lee So-young, candidate for Minister of SMEs and Startups, will simultaneously appear before the verification committee. On the 16th, confirmation hearings will be held for Kang Shin-chul, candidate for Minister of National Defense, and Hong Ji-sun, candidate for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

With the Chuseok holiday just over a week away, a so-called 'super week' of confirmation hearings is taking shape.

Tensions between the ruling and opposition parties have already begun.

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

The People Power Party submitted a list of 44 witnesses and 4 reference persons to the Democratic Party, arguing that Kim's suspicions regarding approval of clinical trials for COVID-19 therapeutics and other allegations must be verified. The Democratic Party countered that the People Power Party is revisiting matters that have already concluded investigations. The floor leaders of both parties agreed to continue negotiations over witness selection.

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

The People Power Party is intensively raising Kim's allegations regarding new drug-related suspicions, including family-related controversies. Regarding Yong, they are demanding her nomination be withdrawn, citing issues such as holding concurrent positions as both a minister and proportional representative in the National Assembly, as well as various controversies surrounding the Basic Income Party.

In Yong's case, even the date for her confirmation hearing has not yet been determined.

The Democratic Party's position is that the hearing should be held between the 16th and 18th, completing all confirmation hearings for the six cabinet nominees by the 18th at the latest.

Kim Sung-hoi, Democratic Party floor spokesperson, stated, "We have consistently said we prefer around the 16th to 18th, but the People Power Party keeps pushing it back, so negotiations are somewhat stalled."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party is advocating for a hearing on the 21st, just one day before the September 22nd deadline for confirmation hearings.

The Democratic Party suspects that the People Power Party is attempting to prolong controversy surrounding Yong by scheduling the hearing as close to Chuseok as possible.

Lee Su-jin, Democratic Party member and floor leader of the Gender Equality and Family Committee, argued that the People Power Party's delay in scheduling the hearing reflects a strategy to "keep controversy on the Chuseok table by consistently avoiding setting a date and pushing it back."

The chair of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, which will verify Yong, is Kim Jung-jae, a member of the People Power Party.

Ultimately, analysts note that underlying the four-day difference over which the parties are clashing are political calculations surrounding Chuseok public sentiment.

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

If the cabinet nominee confirmation hearings conclude by the 18th with Yong, as the Democratic Party requests, five days will remain until the Chuseok holiday. This provides time to consolidate issues raised during the hearings while shifting the focus of state affairs to other agendas such as livelihood and economic issues.

Conversely, if Yong's confirmation hearing is held on the 21st as the People Power Party insists, the Chuseok holiday will begin just two days later. If new suspicions or controversies emerge during the hearing, subsequent disputes are likely to continue through the Chuseok holiday.

The President's decision on appointment after the hearing is also a variable. Since ministers do not require National Assembly consent for appointment, the appointment process can proceed individually after the hearing process is completed. Even if the confirmation hearing report is not adopted, presidential appointment is possible if the procedures established by law are followed.

This is why, if all hearings conclude by the 18th, the ruling bloc can secure time to resolve personnel matters, including the future of candidates, before Chuseok. Conversely, if the final hearing extends to the 21st, Yong's hearing results and appointment itself may remain as a focal point of political debate until just before Chuseok.

Political circles view the Democratic Party as attempting to complete the hearing process early and shift to other agendas before Chuseok, while the People Power Party is concentrating firepower on controversial candidates to extend the personnel vetting process until just before Chuseok.

It is reported that the People Power Party is even reviewing options to conduct the hearing one day longer if it agrees to hold Yong's confirmation hearing by the 18th.

Ultimately, the 'super week' of confirmation hearings starting on the 15th is expected to begin with Kim and conclude with Yong. The ruling party's attempt to clear the confirmation hearing process early and fill the Chuseok table with other agendas, and the opposition's effort to extend personnel controversies until just before Chuseok, are likely to intensify into a fierce struggle over public sentiment.