Vote on PM-Designate Planned for Monday
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday that Prime Minister-nominee Chung Un-chan was not qualified for the crucial government post as he has been embroiled in several illicit activities.
In response, the governing Grand National Party (GNP) hinted that it would push for a vote on the nomination in a National Assembly plenary session as scheduled.
The GNP, which controls 167 of 291 parliamentary seats, can pass the nominee if 146 or more vote for him.
DP lawmakers were critical about the vote, saying Chung does not deserve the job. The DP, which has 84 parliamentary seats, has not made this position official though.
In the second day of a confirmation hearing on Chung, DP lawmakers assailed him for receiving money twice ― 10 million won in total ― from a businessman he had known for 20 years.
The man, who offered the ``allowance'' to the nominee when he was a Seoul National University professor, was only identified as the owner of Y company, a hat maker.
Reps. Baek Won-woo and Choi Jae-sung said that if the nominee were a government employee, he would be dismissed for receiving money from a businessman.
Chung claimed his innocence, insisting he was not in a position to make decisions affecting his friend's company, and that they had no business-related interests.
Presenting a government report, Rep. Baek said several high-ranking government officials lost their jobs previously after they were found to have received only 500,000 won from people.
DP lawmakers also brought up alleged draft dodging by Chung and a possible violation of the law banning government employees from being involved in profit-seeking activities.
As an SNU professor, he received about 100 million won last year from Internet book seller YES 24, which is run by Seoul National University alumni. Professors at the university are government employees.
Chung insisted he offered advisory services to the business and the money was in return for his advisory role.
The nominee was also attacked for alleged tax evasion and his wife's illegal registration of a false address.
In addition to the multiple allegations, Chung's stalwart opposition to the Sejong City Project also made the minor Liberty Forward Party (LFP) uncomfortable.
The LFP were critical of his reluctance to support the plan to relocate 9 ministries and 4 government agencies to the minor party's home turf region.
Chung reiterated that the government would come up with an alternative to make Sejong City self-sufficient, making clear his unwillingness to support the original 22.5 trillion won project.