'Fifth Nominee Falls' Puts Cheong Wa Dae's Personnel-Vetting System to the Test; Chief Secretary for Policy Vacancy Drags On

[Financial News] Kim Seung-won, nominee for justice minister, voluntarily stepped down one day after President Lee Jae Myung's press conference, bringing the number of ministerial nominees who have withdrawn since the government was launched to five. As a series of nominees have left before taking office, Cheong Wa Dae's personnel-vetting system is facing scrutiny. The Chief Secretary for Policy position, which oversees government policy, has also remained vacant for an extended period. With the pressure mounting over key appointments, Cheong Wa Dae appears to be facing even greater difficulty in filling senior posts.
According to political sources on the 20th, Kim Seung-won's withdrawal brought the total number of ministerial nominees who have fallen since the Lee Jae Myung administration began to five. Earlier, Lee Jin-sook, nominee for education minister; Kang Sun-woo, nominee for gender equality and family minister; Lee Hye-hoon, nominee for planning and budget minister; and Yong Hye-in, nominee for gender equality and family minister, all stepped down after being nominated.
Kim Seung-won's resignation appears to have eased some of the pressure on Cheong Wa Dae, but difficulties surrounding the personnel-vetting process remain. At a press conference on the 18th, President Lee also emphasized, "We are now looking to reexamine the personnel system," adding, "Although it is difficult to guarantee that no problems whatsoever will arise in the future, we will do our best."
Cheong Wa Dae is therefore conducting additional vetting of Kim Ji-yong, nominee to head the Serious Crime Investigation Agency. President Lee ordered additional vetting of the nominee after returning from a trip to France on the 10th, and a request for a confirmation hearing has still not been submitted to the National Assembly. Kang Yoo-jung, Chief Spokesperson, said on MBC radio the previous day in response to the host's question about when the nomination of the candidate for head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency would be resolved, "I understand that additional vetting is still underway. It is still difficult to say when it will be completed," adding, "We are looking into it quite carefully." She continued, "Many people have been making various comments about Attorney Kim, haven't they?" and noted, "We are not ignoring those comments and are conducting additional vetting on that matter as well."
Concerns over subsequent appointments also persist among Cheong Wa Dae's senior aides. The Chief Secretary for Policy position has been vacant for 20 days since former Chief Secretary for Policy Kim Yong-beom stepped down on the 1st. Cheong Wa Dae said at the time, "We will pursue a follow-up appointment so that the conduct of state affairs is not disrupted," but a successor has yet to be appointed.
President Lee also said at the press conference that he was "still deliberating" over the appointment of the next Chief Secretary for Policy. He explained that he was also considering calls to strengthen social policy going forward, in addition to the existing policy focus on economic recovery, sustained growth and securing new growth engines. Lee said, "We are still deliberating on that as well and are looking for the right person." For the time being, the current system is expected to continue, with aides including Joon-Kyung Ha, Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Growth, and Ryu Deok-hyeon, financial planning adviser, dividing responsibility for issues in their respective areas.

[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter