ED Lee's inclusive Cabinet: Right idea, wrong people
Rep. Yong Hye-in, right, ignores reporters asking questions on Sept. 3. An activist, left, holds a sign which reads "Partisan interests first? Rep. Yong doesn't deserve a Cabinet post." Yonhap
Lee's open-door policy needs better vetting
There is a Korean saying that reminds leaders of the importance of putting the right people in the right positions: “Personnel is everything.”
In reality, however, filling key posts with qualified and suitable people seems to be much trickier than it sounds. Previous Korean presidents have repeatedly struggled with this. They have often eroded their own credibility by nominating people whose qualifications or ethics were questionable.
President Lee Jae Myung is no exception. His recent Cabinet reshuffle has become a disaster. Of the six nominees, two — Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality Minister nominee Yong Hye-in — are under mounting pressure to bow out.
Kim, a National Assembly legislator of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is accused of having lobbied the food and drug safety administrator in October 2021 to expedite biotech startup Genencell’s request to conduct clinical trials of its COVID-19 drug. The request was approved two weeks after Kim sent a text message to the administrator. The incident has since prompted allegations that Kim abused his power and violated the Anti-Graft Act.
Yong, a member of the minor Basic Income Party who won her seat in a proportional representation race, is under attack from both liberals and conservatives for refusing to give up her parliamentary seat in the event that she is appointed to the Cabinet.
Self-serving politicians appear to be taking advantage of Lee’s open-door policy.
Compared with his predecessors, Lee has been open-minded in selecting candidates for public office. He appointed Kwon Oh-eul, a former conservative lawmaker, as minister of patriots and veterans affairs. He also made the bold decision to retain the agriculture minister appointed by his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, rather than replace her.
On Dec. 28 last year, Lee nominated Lee Hye-hoon, another conservative politician, to lead the Ministry of Planning and Budget. He withdrew the nomination a month later as the nominee was found to have been implicated in several serious scandals.
President Lee’s effort to create an inclusive Cabinet that listens to and reflects the voices of his opponents is laudable. It distinguishes his leadership from that of his predecessors, who predominantly favored like-minded people when making appointments to key government posts.
Although Lee’s intentions are good, his selections for key posts have not necessarily produced the desired results.
Some of Lee’s picks have quit before, during or after their confirmation hearings, highlighting flaws in the screening process that come before the nominees are publicly unveiled. It is also questionable whether those who have survived the process are living up to expectations by offering constructive criticism that could help the Lee administration succeed.
If they remain silent when they are expected to speak up, or fail to challenge the administration when it goes too far, what kind of change can such an inclusive Cabinet actually bring?
An inclusive Cabinet can bear fruit only when internal critics feel free to speak up. Unfortunately, the Lee administration does not appear to be particularly tolerant of those who hold views different from those of the government.
Lee Seok-yeon, the outgoing chairman of the Presidential Committee on National Cohesion, said President Lee appeared to feel uncomfortable whenever he offered constructive criticism.
In a statement released on Sept. 3, he said his humble wish was for President Lee to implement some of the recommendations he had made since assuming the post last year. “What I had said may have sounded rude to the president, but despite this, I had to do it,” he said.
Over the past year, he showed himself to be a rare appointee willing to risk his career by speaking frankly to the president whenever he believed the administration was heading in the wrong direction. In a recent MBC News program, Lee urged the president to distance himself from the DPK and focus fully on state affairs, saying that the president bears responsibility for the current mess.
The presidential office appeared uncomfortable with the outspoken chairman. According to Lee Seok-yeon, he was asked to step down and complied.
If dissenting views are not welcomed, President Lee has little reason to pursue an inclusive Cabinet. Appointing people from outside the ruling party for Cabinet positions is a commendable attempt at diversity. But this open-door policy will not achieve its intended goals if the administration fails to uphold the principle of putting the right people in the right positions.