Blue House to weigh controversial minister picks after confirmation hearings are complete

The Blue House said Thursday that a decision on whether to go ahead with the appointments of the controversial nominees for justice and gender equality minister will be made after their confirmation hearings.

Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, made the remark during an interview on MBC radio, referring to Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality Minister nominee Yong Hye-in.

Kim and Yong were tapped by President Lee Jae Myung as part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle late last month. Since then, Kim has come under fire over allegations that he illegally lobbied the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2021 to win clinical trial approval for a Covid-19 treatment. Yong has separately drawn flak for refusing to give up her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly following her ministerial appointment.

"We plan to make a decision from the people's standpoint after they have gone through the confirmation process," Seong said. "I think we have to listen to what the nominees have to say within the formal question-and-answer process."

On Kim's lobbying allegations, Seong said it was unlikely the presidential office failed to note the issue in the vetting process as the nominee, a two-term lawmaker, had been subject to a prosecution investigation and received a non-indictment decision.

On Yong's refusal to give up her parliamentary seat, he said it was a question to be answered by the nominee herself during the confirmation hearing.

Seong also reiterated the government's position that no final decision has been made on the United States' reported request for Korea to deploy troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

"There are various options when it comes to ways to contribute responsibly to the normalization of the Strait of Hormuz, but no final decision has been made yet on the detailed method," he said, adding that the options could include technical assistance, in addition to troop deployment.

Yonhap