Cheong Wa Dae: Decision on Nominees Yong Hye-in and Kim Seung-won to Be Made After Hearings and Public Standards

Sung Ki-hong, Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations and Communication, stated regarding Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee Yong Hye-in that "we plan to make a judgment based on the public's standards and other factors after going through the hearing process."

Appearing on an MBC radio broadcast today, Senior Secretary Sung addressed various suspicions raised concerning Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee Yong Hye-in, saying, "I think we need to listen to the nominees' words through the official process of hearings, where questions are asked and answered."

First, touching upon the allegations regarding nominee Kim's solicitation for new drug clinical trial approval, Sung remarked, "There was prosecution investigation under the previous administration, and since it was already reported in the form of a non-indictment, there is no way it was missed during the verification process."

Regarding the issue of nominee Yong holding concurrent positions, he explained, "Rather than a matter of verification, it is an issue for the nominee to judge. It is an area where the nominee will make a judgment and state their position to the public in the process of receiving the ministerial post and conducting the hearing."

To the question of whether Cheong Wa Dae asked Yong about the issue of holding concurrent lawmaker positions at the time of her nomination, he said, "In the process of nominating candidates to broadly utilize talent from the Democratic Party and other parties, setting 'Will you do this or that?' as a precondition for nomination is somewhat of a different matter."


He then emphasized, "It is a matter for the individual to take judgment or explain in a way that the public can understand, taking into account past precedents, customs, and the special circumstances of the party to which that person belongs."

When the host repeatedly asked—referring to President Lee Jae-myung's remark during his state visit to France the previous day that "my term is clearly limited under the Constitution"—whether this meant there would be no constitutional amendment for consecutive terms or whether it should be understood that he would not seek consecutive terms, Sung answered, "That is correct."

Sung explained, "Since the presidential term is already limited within the constitutional order, I interpret his remarks as saying that consecutive terms themselves, as talked about on the street, are entirely impossible and cannot even be reviewed."

Regarding the United States' request for troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, he added, "There are various options regarding responsible ways to contribute to the normalization of the Strait of Hormuz, but specific methods have not been finalized yet."

To the host's question asking what options other than troop deployment exist among the "various options," he replied, "If it is not the troop deployment option, technical support could also be possible."

He further elaborated, "Some people might contemplate parts like sending combat troops or non-combat troops as a method of deployment, but rather than that, we can wisely seek other ways of contribution."

When asked about the ruling party's stance on the special prosecutor bill regarding fabricated indictments, he stated, "The focus is placed on the issue of illegality in the indictment process, and it is undesirable for it to be highlighted too much as an issue concerning the President and thought of as a law for that purpose," adding, "If necessary, there will be an opportunity to express our views."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.