Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Budget minister nominee apologizes over staff abuse allegations, denies improper apartment bid
Lee Hye-hoon, nominee for budget minister, answers questions during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Choi Ju-yeon
By Kim Hyun-bin
Lawmakers from both parties accuse Lee Hye-hoon of failing to submit key materials
Lee Hye-hoon, the nominee for budget minister, bowed in apology during a parliamentary confirmation hearing Friday over allegations that she mistreated aides, while denying claims of an improper apartment application and what she called “parental favoritism” in her son’s university admission.
The hearing for the nominee had been delayed after both the ruling and opposition parties objected during earlier proceedings amid disputes over her submission of requested materials. The standoff has emerged as a major test of President Lee Jae Myung’s pragmatic governing strategy. The liberal president tapped Lee, a veteran economist and three-term former lawmaker from the conservative opposition, to lead the newly created Ministry of Planning and Budget.
In opening remarks at the National Assembly, Lee said she was sorry for causing public concern and apologized to both the public and the president. She also addressed allegations that she had mistreated staff.
“I sincerely apologize to everyone hurt by my immature words and actions,” she said, adding that she had been narrowly focused on policy results and failed to recognize the harm caused to colleagues.
Lee rejected allegations that her family improperly benefited in a points-based housing application for an upscale apartment complex in southern Seoul in 2024. Lawmakers have said she listed her three sons as dependents to increase points, potentially securing a highly valuable allocation in a fiercely competitive housing market.
Under Korea’s competitive apartment subscription system, listing adult children as dependents can provide a decisive edge in housing drawings, but only if they remain unmarried and part of the same household. Opponents argue that by including her eldest son in her application, Lee exploited a technicality while he was effectively living as a married man, a move they describe as a calculated effort to inflate her priority score.
She told lawmakers that her eldest son and his spouse had married in December 2023 and jointly secured a rental home but soon faced a breakdown in their relationship.
“At the time, we thought it would be difficult to maintain the marriage,” she said, arguing that the circumstances undercut claims of improper intent. Asked whether the couple later reconciled, Lee replied that “many people made great efforts,” but maintained that she believed the relationship had collapsed when the application was filed.
Even before substantive questioning began, lawmakers from both parties accused Lee of failing to submit key materials.
Rep. Choi Eun-seok of the main opposition People Power Party said Lee’s camp had misled the media about its level of cooperation.
“They claimed 75 percent had been provided, but that is an outright lie,” he said. “I was dumbfounded after reviewing what was actually submitted.”
Rep. Chung Il-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea urged Lee to submit “more concrete and objective explanatory materials,” saying the documents she had turned in so far only fueled further questions.
Lawmakers also raised questions about her son’s admission to Yonsei University under a "social contributions" track, noting that Lee’s spouse held a senior administrative post at the prestigious university at the time and that her campaign initially offered different explanations for the admission.