Minister nominees embroiled in ethical lapses

From left are Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum, Land Minister nominee Noh Hyeong-ouk, Industry Minister nominee Moon Sung-wook, Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook, Labor Minister nominee An Kyung-duk and Oceans Minister nominee Park Jun-young. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

By Nam Hyun-woo

Allegations of ethical lapses have emerged for almost all the candidates nominated for ministerial positions by President Moon Jae-in during his Cabinet reshuffle last month.

With their confirmation hearings scheduled for today at the National Assembly, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is demanding they turn down the nominations, arguing they are “unqualified” for high-ranking government posts.

“The upcoming hearings for the five minister nominees will apparently to be an exhibition of naeronambul, and the candidates are mostly unqualified to receive approval from the opposition,” PPP spokesman Rep. Bae June-young said Monday. “Naeronambul” refers to a popular saying on hypocrisy in Korean which roughly translates to “If I do it, it is romance, and if you do it, it is adultery.”

The comments come as each of the minister nominees are mired in ethical problems involving themselves or their family members.

Land Minister nominee Noh Hyeong-ouk enters the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, April 30. Yonhap

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Noh Hyeong-ouk has been tarred with guilt by association because of his wife and son's misdemeanors.

Noh's wife was caught shoplifting at a supermarket last year and fined 200,000 won after acknowledging the crime, saying she did so impulsively while suffering from depression.

His second son is also under suspicion of unfairly collecting unemployment benefits, something Noh has denied.

Another controversy surrounds an apartment in Sejong.

In 2011, Noh purchased an apartment in the city at a special price offered to civil servants who had to move to the city due to the relocation of government agencies. However, instead of living in it, he resided in an official residence for ranking officials ― located further from his office than the apartment ― and rented it out. He then sold the apartment in 2017 for 500 million won ($447,000), raking in a profit of more than 300 million won.

Noh explained that he was living in the official residence because he signed a contract extension with the then tenants of the apartment.

Science Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook enters a building in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

Minister of Science and ICT nominee Lim Hye-sook is facing allegations of taking her daughters on government-funded overseas trips to attend a number of overseas seminars.

According to ministry data submitted to PPP lawmaker Park Sung-joong, Lim participated in six seminars in Japan, the U.S., New Zealand and Spain subsidized by the National Research Foundation of Korea from 2016 to last year, and her daughters also traveled to those countries on the same or adjacent dates.

Park also noted that her reports on the seminars were poorly written, without specifying what they were about or what she learned during them.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy nominee Moon Sung-wook is alleged to have avoided paying gift tax. Rep. Ku Ja-keun of the PPP claimed Moon's two children's account balances increased significantly compared to their earnings reported to the tax authority over the past five years.

Minister of Employment and Labor nominee An Kyung-duk is facing bribery suspicions. During his tenure as the head of the Jungbu Regional Employment and Labor Office in 2011, An decided not to punish discount chain E-mart after an industrial accident killed four contractors, citing a lack of legal grounds. However, this became a controversy after a 2013 news report revealed that he was on an E-mart executive's gift list for the 2011 Chuseok holidays.

Both An and E-mart later said no gifts were given, but the PPP said they will scrutinize the issue during his confirmation hearing.

Along with them, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries nominee Park Jun-young is expected to face tough questions over allegations that his wife smuggled porcelain pieces into the country and sold them illegally.

Following today's hearings for the five nominees, the National Assembly will hold one for Prime Minister nominee Kim Bu-kyum from Thursday to Friday.