Will questions over Cabinet nominees ever stop?

The media has begun to monitor the nominees to head six ministries of President-elect Park Geun-hye. After Kim Yong-joon withdrew his nomination for prime minister, the president-elect pledged to conduct more thorough pre-screening of candidates. Yet suspicions surrounding several of the nominees have been raised over their tax payments and compulsory military service, which are key items for basic screening.

Defense Minister-designate Kim Byung-kwan has been linked to a number of forms of corruption. Suspicions involving him seem to be no less serious than those of Lee Dong-heup, former nominee for Constitutional Court chief justice who also dropped out after waiting for his confirmation for 40 days. Kim bought land in mountainous areas of Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, some three years before the construction of a military airport there, but did not pay transfer tax. He hurriedly paid 520,000 won (490 U.S. dollars) in transfer tax some 27 years later Thursday, one day after his nomination was announced, but apparently did so under heavy public pressure. Is it also OK for him to pay just 520,000 won considering the market price of 27 years ago? Kim is also known to be involved in real estate speculation with an apartment in Seoul`s Banpo-dong neighborhood, which is undergoing redevelopment. He has never lived there, but earned a hefty profit from the transaction. He is also suspected of real estate speculation in Cheongwon, North Chungcheong Province.

Retiring from the military as the chief of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in 2008, Kim also served as non-executive adviser to a foreign-based arms trading company about two years after leaving the service, and was paid a regular salary. The company CEO had also been indicted for involvement in corruption case over the Yulgok military weapons project in 1993. In 2011, Kim was investigated in connection with illegal lobbying involving 10 billion won (9.3 million U.S. dollars) in bribes in the process of introducing a German-made submarine to the Korean military. The next defense minister will conduct massive projects, such as the procurement of defense equipment and the next-generation fighter jet project, to prepare for Korea’s retaking wartime operational command from the U.S. Kim`s advisory post might have been part-time, but it was ill-advised for a retired full general not to be cautious enough in taking requests from a weapons trader.

The son of Prime Minister-designate Chung Hong-won and Justice Minister-nominee Hwang Kyo-ahn are suspected of dodging the draft. Chung and Hwang must give clear explanations on these allegations to enable the public to understand their positions in their confirmation hearings. In his book “A Law Story That Churches Must Know” released in July last year, Hwang opposed laws and rules imposing taxes on churches and religious leaders. Religion and law enforcement should be clearly separated.

President-elect Park once expressed discontent over the way nominees are verified, calling it “ruthless criticism and publicity of privacy” after former Prime Minister-nominee Kim withdrew his nomination on his own. She might feel disappointment and regret given that she was under pressure to form her Cabinet as soon as possible and prepare for her Feb. 25 inauguration. Before she finds fault with the way the eligibility of Cabinet members are verified, however, she should check first if preliminary screening of people whom she selects has been thorough. Even if ministers are confirmed just in time for her taking office Feb. 25, those unworthy of assuming top public posts should never receive approval without thorough verification simply due to lack of time.