Tough hearings expected for 2 minister-nominees

By Jung Sung-ki

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is stepping up efforts to find faults with the finance and culture minister-designates during this week’s parliamentary confirmation hearings, following its successful attack on Chung Tong-ki, who withdrew his nomination to become the chief state auditor last week over allegations related to his wealth and political impartiality.

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) vows to defend the nominees and denounced the DP for distributing groundless information to mislead the people.

The confirmation hearing for Choung Byoung-gug, nominee for the minister of culture, sports and tourism, will take place on Monday, followed by the hearing for Choi Joong-kyung, nominee for the minister of knowledge economy, on Tuesday. The hearing for Park Han-chul, a nominee for a judge of the Constitutional Court, is scheduled for Jan. 27.

The DP has raised allegations that Choung had been engaged in real estate speculation. The party claims that Choung’s wife bought land in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in 1995 and received compensation worth some 72 million won later from the government because part of the land was constructed to be part of a road.

The amount is about 15 times higher than that the nominee reported before, the DP argues. The party also raised the issue that Choung bought the land illegally as he didn’t submit a required document when buying agriculture land.

Choung denies the allegations. He says there was no document to be submitted on farming plans in 1995.

The DP, in addition, suspects Choung to have misappropriated money under the name of fueling his car. He is said to have spent about 38 million won for personal gas expenses in 2009.

As for Choi, the opposition party also raised the suspicion of real estate speculation.

Choi’s wife bought land estimated to cost about 49 million won in 1988 and part of the land was designated as a development site three months afterwards, according to DP lawmakers.

As a result, Choi received about 287 million won from the government in compensation, more than six times higher than the land’s original price, they argue.

He is also said to have received financial support totaling about $24,000 from the government in school expenses for his son between October 2008 and July 2010.

He argued that the assistance was legal because he was serving as ambassador to the Philippines during the period.

The opposition claims, however, Choi was serving as a presidential secretary for economic affairs between April and July last year, so he received additional funds for his son’s schooling even after retiring as an envoy.