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Minister nominees in hot seat over ethical lapses

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Hong Yun-sik

By Kim Hyo-jin

Minister nominees are facing allegations of ethical lapses ahead of their confirmation hearings, scheduled for next month.

Opposition party lawmakers took issue with Education Minister nominee Lee Joon-sik for his daughter renouncing her Korean nationality and Interior Minister nominee Hong Yun-sik for his previous false residence registration.

President Park Geun-hye nominated five new Cabinet minister candidates Monday to replace incumbents who are expected to step down in order to run in the general elections scheduled for April 13.

“If the renunciation of his daughter’s Korean citizenship was intended for her to acquire privileges for being American, it is questionable if Lee is qualified for leading Korea’s education,” wrote Rep. An Min-suk of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) in a press release. “Whether it was a choice made by Lee himself or his daughter needs to be clarified.”

According to An, the nominee registered the birth of his second daughter in 1985 when studying at UC Berkeley in the United States, which made her a dual citizen.

However, a document verifying the family relationship submitted to the Assembly for the upcoming hearing showed Lee’s now 30-year-old daughter only has U.S. citizenship, the lawmaker said.

Lee did not comment on the accusation, saying he will explain during the confirmation hearing session scheduled to be held on Jan. 8.

Rep. Jung Cheong-rae, another NPAD lawmaker, raised suspicions that Interior Minister nominee Hong Yun-sik made a false residence registration in an attempt to buy an apartment.

Jung accused Hong of making a camouflaged move-in to Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, for seven months in 1989.

“The false residence registration was a serious factor that can lead to cancellation of the nomination before,” he said. “The way the Park administration designates figures for cabinet posts is fraught with problems.”

Hong refused to comment, saying he will clarify the accusation during the confirmation hearing.