PPP demands withdrawal of prime minister nominee over housing, data breach controversies

The fallout from a personal data leak affecting about 5,000 participants in a government startup program deepened Tuesday as Korea’s main opposition party demanded that President Lee Jae Myung withdraw his nomination of Prime Minister-nominee Han Seong-sook, arguing that the scandal calls into question her fitness for office.

During a meeting at the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, People Power Party (PPP) Secretary-General Jung Hee-yong recalled remarks President Lee made last December regarding data breaches.

"If you cause damage to the people, you should feel that you'll face enormous economic sanctions and that your company will go under," Lee said, according to Jung.

Han, concurrently serving as minister for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, made a public apology Monday over a security lapse in the government-run “Startup for All” startup audition program that exposed the personal information and application materials of about 5,000 first-round finalists after an AI solutions company serving as a project partner exploited a vulnerability in the website. The company allegedly accessed participants’ email addresses, business proposals and judges’ evaluations, with the breach coming to light when it later sent promotional emails to the successful applicants.

"Han was the minister in charge when the emails, IDs, startup idea summaries and evaluation notes of 5,000 young people who trusted and applied to a national initiative were leaked," Jung said, adding that in accordance with Lee's standards, Han "should be held liable for punitive fines and class-action lawsuits over the personal data breach."

Jung was also critical of the number of homes Han had owned until recently. 

“As recently as April, President Lee insisted that multi-home-owning civil servants should be barred from real estate policymaking, saying that ‘even an employee who photocopies documents should not be a multi-home owner,’” Jung said. “Yet Han Seong-sook, whom President Lee has nominated for prime minister, owned four homes until recently.”

"If the president's standards still hold, Han is unqualified. If those standards have changed, he should first apologize and explain himself to the public," said Jung. "The president must give a responsible account of how his stated principles and this appointment can coexist." He closed by calling for the nomination to be withdrawn.

Another PPP member, Kang Seung-kyoo, argued that Han's nomination completes what he called a "Naver Cabinet," referring to the growing number of former executives of Korean tech giant Naver and its affiliates who have been appointed to key positions in the Lee administration.

"Ha Jung-woo, former presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning who headed Naver's AI lab; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young, who led online game company NHN, Naver's predecessor company; and now Han, the former Naver CEO — Naver alumni have been concentrated in the key areas of AI strategy, content policy and venture investment," Kang said. "Korea's AI policy is becoming a rotation system for Naver-linked figures."

Regarding the data leak from the government startup program, Kang said Han had "gathered the very victims of the personal data breach and held a launch ceremony," and only delivered what he called a face-saving apology during a doorstep interview once public criticism mounted. "Han is unqualified to serve even as SME minister based on the incident alone," he said, adding that the PPP's confirmation committee members would "thoroughly expose her incompetence, irresponsibility and various allegations during the hearing."

DP member Kim Han-gyu pushed back at the same meeting. "Last Thursday — the 18th — we adopted the confirmation hearing plan through agreement between the ruling and opposition parties," he said. "I don't know what could have changed in just a few days to warrant such an unreasonable demand."

He said the committee should proceed with a thorough vetting process as requested documents continue to arrive.

Kim also took aim at the PPP's document requests, saying they were "full of things that have nothing to do with vetting the nominee." He said the opposition had requested data on National Election Commission employees on leave, the results of nepotism probes, complaint logs and disciplinary records from public institutions unrelated to Han.

"Whether they've confused this with the NEC special investigation committee or are getting a head start on audit season, I can't say — but it's clear these have nothing to do with vetting the nominee," he said.

Kim closed with a pointed remark. "The PPP is simultaneously arguing that what's needed now is someone who can revive the economy, and also making the absurd claim that a former Naver CEO can't be prime minister. Stop making arguments that are out of step with the times, and let's properly wrap up the confirmation process we agreed to together."

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]