Nominees resignation

Time to make tougher qualification checks

Prime Minister-designate Kim Tae-ho gave up his nomination Sunday. His move has dealt a political setback not only to himself but also to President Lee Myung-bak. However, it is fortunate that Kim has finally made a wise decision to cave in to mounting pressure from opposition political parties and the public to voluntarily withdraw his nomination.

Kim, 48, former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, took center stage for the controversy over his qualification during confirmation hearings. When nominated in a major Cabinet reshuffle on Aug. 8, he was seen as a young and fresh candidate for prime minister. But, his integrity was called into question during the hearings.

Kim’s resignation came two days after lawmakers of the Democratic Party and other opposition parties blocked a bid by the governing Grand National Party to endorse him, delaying an approval vote at the National Assembly. The dispute over his qualification focused on allegations about his unethical and law-breaking conducts.

He was grilled over allegations that he received illegal political funds from Park Yeon-cha, then-CEO of the Busan-based shoemaking firm Taekwang, in 2007 when the nominee was serving as governor. The decisive blow came when he lied about his contact with Park. Announcing his resignation, Kim said he should no longer be an obstacle to President Lee in his management of state affairs.

Two other Cabinet minister-nominees also resigned. They were Knowledge and Economy Minister-designate Lee Jae-hoon and Culture Minister-designate Shin Jae-min. Lee was under fire for his wife’s dubious real estate purchase, while Shin was slammed for false residential registration and alleged land speculation.

It is a shame that Cabinet minister nominees are usually faced with allegations about property speculation, tax evasion, draft dodging, dual citizenship, plagiarism, bribery and illegal campaign funds. The row over their qualifications has no sign of ending although the country has boasted of making much democratic progress in the past decades.

Every president vows to raise the ethics standards for ministers and ranking officials, launching an anticorruption campaign. President Lee is no exception. Marking the 65th anniversary of the nation’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15, Lee promised to usher in a fair society. However, the public cannot but ask a question: Does the President really mean to establish a fair society, while appointing his henchmen as Cabinet ministers who lack integrity?

Lee should take the blame as he is the leader. He should learn a lesson from this nomination episode. Lee and his staff are required to take more rigorous qualification checks on Cabinet minister nominees. We hope the President will soon select new candidates for prime minister and two other ministers who can be trusted by the people. If he fails again, he may become a lame duck president sooner than expected.