The controversy surrounding nominee Lee Hyung-il's "non-resident single home ownership" emerged as a major topic of debate during his confirmation hearing for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance.

The People Power Party launched an offensive, pointing out that Lee purchased an apartment in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and held it for 17 years while living in it for only four months, arguing this contradicts the government's policy direction.

In response, the Democratic Party stepped up to shield Lee, giving him an opportunity to offer explanations.

Taking the first turn of questioning, People Power Party lawmaker Park Soo-young targeted Lee, asking, "Is this a situation the general public can understand, given that you transferred your resident registration and moved out after just two months in 2012 and another two months in 2018?" She pressed further, saying, "You said a home is a place to live, not something to buy, so why didn't you live that way yourself?"

She continued, "The way ordinary people live is by buying a smaller home when they don't have enough money for a larger one they want to live in, putting it on a lease, saving money, and eventually moving into that larger home. If someone says otherwise on this matter, you need the conviction to say they are wrong to be qualified as the Deputy Prime Minister."

Lee Jong-wook, a lawmaker from the same party, also criticized the nominee, stating, "According to the standards of the Lee Jae-myung administration, this nominee is classified as a textbook speculative force. The general public is no different. In fact, they feel much more aggrieved due to even harsher circumstances than the nominee."

The Democratic Party defended Lee without directly confronting these attacks.

Democratic Party lawmaker Moon Jin-seok remarked, "The opposition party is attacking this as a gap investment, but for a gap investment to occur, there must be almost no difference between the lease price and the market price," and asked about the trading conditions at the time.

When Lee responded, "The market price was around 420 million won, the lease was offered at around 110 million won, and I purchased it without a loan," Moon stated that the price gap was significant, adding, "It is ambiguous to view this as a gap investment."

Lawmaker Ahn Do-geol of the same party praised Lee, saying, "Without thorough self-management, the nominee probably would not have made it to this seat," and added, "It appears he has managed himself so thoroughly that no flaws can be found regarding his morality."

Nerve-wracking tension also arose over the fact that the hearing is being conducted without any witnesses or reference persons.

People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin, the opposition secretary of the committee, criticized the situation by noting that former Blue House Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom and others were not adopted as witnesses due to the Democratic Party's opposition, warning that "the harm inflicted on the public through such a rushed hearing will persist throughout this administration."

Rebutting this, Democratic Party lawmaker Oh Gi-hyung, the ruling party secretary, stated, "Calling former Chief Kim as a witness is just political maneuvering to grab ankles," and added, "I believe this confirmation hearing can facilitate bold debates on policy even without witnesses."

(Photo: Yonhap News)