Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
Can he hold on?
By Kang Seung-woo
Kim Byung-kwan
By Kang Seung-woo
As the suspicions surrounding Defense Minister nominee Kim Byung-kwan seem never ending, it remains to be seen whether President Park Geun-hye will push ahead with her choice.
The latest allegation the retired four-star general faces is that he did not submit a report on his stock assets for a parliamentary confirmation hearing earlier this month, in an alleged effort to hide his stake in a Myanmar natural gas company.
As a result, the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) threatened to take legal action against him for failing to disclose the assets during the confirmation process. Kim, 64, claimed to have forgotten to include them in his reports to parliament.
Although Kim’s reputation as a top military official is in tatters, Park is expected to refuse to drop him amid heightening tensions between the two Koreas.
“There hasn’t been a major change in the presidential office’s general stance toward Kim," a senior official told Yonhap News, saying there is no serious enough reason to retract the nomination.
However, Park has yet to appoint Kim, a hint she is mindful of possible public backlash due to the ongoing suspicions, and may even withdraw the nomination.
“We're listening” to public opinion, another official said.
A number of senior ruling party members seem to have already turned their backs on Kim.
“The nominee should step down as soon as possible to stop bringing more shame on the president,” said Shim Jae-chul, during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council.
Lawmaker Kim Yong-tae said, “Whether Kim did not submit the report by accident or not, the omission is enough to fall under suspicion of interference in the hearing.”
Along with the new alleagtion, Kim faced a total of 33 questions ranging from tax evasion to property speculation, and playing a round of golf during a period of national mourning, which have resulted in pressure for him to withdraw from consideration.