Moon appoints Kim Sang-jo as fair trade regulator despite scandal

By Kim Rahn

Kim Sang-jo

President Moon Jae-in pushed ahead with appointing Kim Sang-jo as head of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), Tuesday, despite the lack of a National Assembly confirmation.

The move drew a strong backlash from opposition parties, which said Moon does not intend to cooperate with them. The conflict is feared to cause further difficulties for Moon to get parliamentary support for additional personnel appointments, the passage of a supplementary budget bill and other policies.

“We asked the National Assembly to endorse Kim by Monday but it has kept delaying deliberations,” said Yoon Young-chan, chief presidential press secretary.

“At this time when we have to set a new standard for economic democracy, we can’t waste time anymore. So Moon appointed Kim to the post.”

Yoon said Kim showed his capacity to resolve social inequality and economic polarization during the confirmation hearing, and support from various walks of life shows Kim has strong enough ethical qualifications and a good reputation to be a public official.

“Public opinion polls also show that people recognize Kim as a suitable person for the position. We see Kim as having passed the qualification test from the point of view of the people, who focused on the capability to carry out policies rather than ethical lapses,” Yoon said.

He said despite Kim’s appointment, the government will maintain its basic stance of seeking cooperation with the opposition.

However, the opposition parties blasted the appointment as expected.

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) called it “violence.”

“We recognize the appointment as Moon’s declaration to abandon cooperation with the opposition bloc,” LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik said.

Adding that only one day had passed since Moon visited the Assembly to give a speech seeking parliamentary support for the extra budget bill, Chung said, “The appointment deceived the opposition and ignored the people.”

The minor opposition Bareun Party also said the appointment showed the Moon government’s dictatorial attitude that lacked communication.