Labor Minister Nominee Fabricated Career
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Labor Minister-designate Lee Young-hee was reported Tuesday to have fabricated his work experience.
Lee said he previously served as a committee member of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) in a resume he submitted to the National Assembly for hearings on his nomination.
But this was not the case, a source said.
According to his resume, Lee was represented as working with the commission as a labor delegate member from 1997 till 2000.
The nominee attached a certificate issued by the Ministry of Labor as evidence supporting his work experience.
This proved to be false after an official of the commission confirmed that Lee never worked with the NLRC, the source said.
Lee said the false career record appeared in his resume due to a mistake by an office clerk who compiled his documents.
He also denied his involvement in ``career fabrication,'' saying he was unaware of it.
A series of allegations raised against nominees for President Lee Myung-bak's first Cabinet have troubled the governing Grand National Party (GNP) over their possible negative impact on the April 9 parliamentary elections.
Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) lawmakers said that they will question the nominee in his confirmation hearing to see if the wrong career representation was a simple mistake or a lie.
Two days of non-binding hearings on the Cabinet nominations begin today.
Lee Choon-ho, nominee for minister of gender equality and family, withdrew her nomination over alleged property speculation Sunday, a day before the presidential inauguration.
Rep. Kim Young-dae of the UDP accused President Lee of sloppy screening in picking his Cabinet nominees.
``The President said in a request form asking lawmakers to approve his nominations that the labor minister-nominee is qualified for the job because he had work experience at the commission,'' said Kim.
The lawmaker claimed as the core qualification turned out to be a lie, the President should withdraw the nomination.
Additional allegations were made Tuesday regarding Culture and Tourism Minister-nominee Yu In-chon.
It was reported that Yu's grandfather was pro-Japanese playwright Yu Chi-jin during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule of Korea.
Beside the family pedigree, Yu drew unusual attention for being the richest Cabinet minister among the 15 nominees. Yu's assets are worth more than 14 billion won.
The nominee said he was a hardworking actor for the past 35 years and it is no wonder for him to make that much money.