Defense Minister nominee on defensive

By Kang Seung-woo

Kim Byung-kwan Defense Minister nominee

Defense Minister nominee Kim Byung-kwan fended off allegations about his activities after retirement during a confirmation hearing, Friday, rejecting calls from the opposition to withdraw.

As soon as President Park Geun-hye nominated the former deputy commander of the Korea-United States Combined Forces Command (CFC) last month, Kim, 64, faced a string of allegations and criticism ranging from tax evasion to property speculation, and playing a round of golf during a period of national mourning.

He was also scrutinized over a lucrative consulting job for an arms broker he held between 2010 and 2012.

The company was involved in a controversial deal to import key parts from Germany for a tank development project.

“I was not involved in any kind of lobbying activities,” Kim said at the hearing.

“I joined the broker to consult on a project to jointly build an engine manufacturing factory with a German firm.

“I have never lived for wealth and fame.”

He also said that people advised him not to work for the firm, but despite possible criticism, he consulted on behalf of the broker in order to commit to the joint project.

In addition, the nominee was also criticized for falsely registering his place of residence. He apologized for this.

However, Kim is expected to stand firm against pressure ― even from the ruling Saenuri Party ― to step down.

“I know there are around 30 suspicions about me. I expressed regret over some of them, but I am not responsible for the remainder,” he said.

“I looked back to see if I really did bad enough things to withdraw my nomination, but I do not think so.”

Meanwhile, he said that there might be talks on delaying the transfer of wartime operational control from the Combined Forces Command to Korea in December 2015.

“Although it is still set to be transferred to Korea, we need to reevaluate if we are fully prepared to take it over amid growing tensions between the two Koreas,” he said.

“We can reconsider the transfer following a reevaluation.”

Last month, Sung Kim, U.S. ambassador to Seoul, said that Washington will not hand over the scheduled transfer of its wartime operational command to Seoul if is not ready to assume the responsibility, following the North’s third nuclear test, but this was refuted by the government.

Korea handed over both wartime and peacetime operational control of its armed forces to the United States in July 1950, a month after the North started the three-year-long Korean War. Seoul regained peacetime operational control of its forces toward the end of 1994.