Two-Day Confirmation Hearing for Prime Minister Nominee Han Seong-sook Begins; Dispute Over Illegal Construction

[Anchor]

The National Assembly has held a confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Seong-sook. The opposition party actively scrutinized the nominee's qualifications, while the ruling party defended her, calling her the "right person for the job."

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

In her opening statement at the confirmation hearing, Prime Minister nominee Han Seong-sook expressed her determination to dedicate the experience and philosophy she gained from 30 years at the forefront of technological innovation, including her time at Naver, to the management of state affairs.

[Han Seong-sook / Prime Minister Nominee: I will become a results-oriented Prime Minister who leads the transformation of our economic structure through a bold AI transition, supports the growth of future generations, and builds a warm safety net for the socially vulnerable....]

However, the ruling and opposition parties clashed from the start over the fact that not a single witness was called for the hearing.

[Kang Seung-kyu / People Power Party Lawmaker: The confirmation hearing for Prime Minister Kim Min-seok last year was the first time there were no witnesses at a Prime Minister's hearing, and now hearings without witnesses are becoming the new normal....]

[Kim Han-kyu / Democratic Party Lawmaker: We stated that we could accept most witnesses, excluding those related to the Seongnam FC case, which would only serve to create a political battleground. (The People Power Party) took the position that it is only meaningful if all witnesses and appraisers are accepted....]

The People Power Party focused on issues such as the nominee's recent disposal of multiple homes and allegations of negligence regarding the violation of the Farmland Act on land in Yangpyeong.

They also pointed out that regarding the illegal construction of a building in Jongno-gu, Seoul—an issue that surfaced during her confirmation hearing for Minister of SMEs and Startups a year ago—she had promised to resolve it quickly at the time but only demolished it after being nominated for Prime Minister.

The Democratic Party praised Han as the right person for the premiership, stating that as a female entrepreneur who broke the glass ceiling, she had produced results that satisfied not only IT companies but also small business owners and traditional market merchants during her year as Minister of SMEs and Startups.

The confirmation hearing for nominee Han is scheduled to continue until tomorrow, June 26. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President following the consent process of the National Assembly.

(Reported by Go Jeong-hyeon | Video by Oh Young-chun and Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Park Sun-soo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.