Presidency finds Lee Jin-sook hard to defend

Calls for the withdrawal of Lee Jin-sook, the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, and Kang Sun-woo, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, are growing louder both within and outside the ruling bloc. Initially, the presidential office intended to monitor public opinion until July 18, when the confirmation hearings for all 16 ministerial nominees are expected to conclude. However, voices within the ruling camp now suggest that at least one of the two nominees may have to step down sooner.

A senior official from the ruling party said on July 16, “There are problematic issues with Lee’s academic paper,” and added, “She is becoming a card that is hard to defend.” Regarding Kang’s alleged abuse of power, the official remarked, “Her explanations have fallen short of public expectations,” and acknowledged that negative sentiment is spreading. Another official noted, “We need to see the hearings through, but realistically, one of the two is likely to be dropped.”

The Democratic Party leadership has instructed its members on standing committees not to process any confirmation reports without consultation with opposition parties. The party plans to assess public sentiment after this week’s hearings and then decide whether to formally convey its position to the presidential office. Nevertheless, some lawmakers from the ruling party are believed to have privately conveyed their opposition to the two nominees directly to the office.

The change in tone from the ruling camp, which had previously ruled out any withdrawals during the hearings, reflects the growing pressure for voluntary resignations. On the same day, former presidents of the Democratic Party’s aides council issued a statement criticizing Kang for “emotional appeals and self-defense that miss the point” and demanded that she resign. A national academic verification group also called on Lee to step down, urging the Lee Jae-myung administration “not to commit the folly of ignoring even the most basic standards of common sense.”

In response, Woo Sang-ho, presidential senior secretary for political affairs, stated, “We are reporting the worsening public sentiment surrounding some of the nominees directly to the president.”

At a press conference, People Power Party emergency committee chair Song Eon-seok directly targeted the two nominees, saying, “If their appointments are pushed through as is, it will only prove that the entire nation has become President Lee’s personal domain,” and urged, “Do not provoke the public any further. Step down voluntarily.”


Dong-Joo Cho djc@donga.com