Byun Chang-heum is the 26th minister of appointment?野 “Ween Lame Duck Acceleration”

On the 28th, the National Assembly’s Land, Transport and Transportation Committee will reconsider the adoption of the personnel hearing progress report for the candidate Byeon Chang-heum of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In addition, the Democratic Party is in the position that “there is no reason for disqualification”, but the people’s strength is asking for voluntary resignation, saying, “I will go to the judicial proceedings when the appointment is enforced” (Ho-Young Joo, Representative of the People’s Power of the House on the 24th). It means that it will take prosecution at the party level in relation to the controversy over perjury at the hearings about the habitual arrears and the suspicion that preferential hiring of acquaintances during the reappointment of the Seoul Housing and Urban Corporation (SH) president.

However, the Democratic Party, which occupies 18 out of 30 members of the National Assembly’s land committee, can adopt the hearing report alone again if he or she decides. This is because the requirement for adoption is a majority attendance and majority approval of registered members. Even if the adoption fails, President Moon can enforce the appointment. In that case, Candidate Byun becomes the 26th ministerial figure appointed by President Moon Jae-in without the consent of the opposition party. Until now, 23 people were forced to nominate the National Assembly’s hearing report, while the Democratic Party adopted the report alone.

The unilateral appointment of a minister began in June 2017 when Kim Sang-jo was the chairman of the Fair Trade Commission. At the time, the Future Integration Party (currently the power of the people) raised the suspicion of hiring the former Chairman Kim’s teacher preferential employment and refused to adopt the hearing report, but President Moon awarded the letter of appointment. That year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-hwa and Defense Minister Song Young-moo were appointed in a row without adopting a hearing report, and this year’s appointment of Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae was the same.

National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won and Unification Minister Lee In-young’s hearing report was adopted by the Democratic Party alone in July, with members of the Future Integration Party’s Intelligence Committee and Foreign Communications Committee absent. With the advent of the 21st National Assembly (174 seats from the Democratic Party), the Democratic Party occupied a majority of all standing committees, eliminating the possibility of misappropriation of the hearing report. The number of forced appointments of 25 ministers is the highest since the Roh Moo-hyun administration (July 2005), which expanded the subject of ministerial hearings to ministerial level. Previously, there were 3 Roh Moo-hyun administration, 17 Lee Myung-bak administration and 10 Park Geun-hye administration. One of the three elected lawmakers of the people’s power criticized, “It is a level that combines the two conservative regimes’ compulsory appointments, and it clearly shows President Moon’s self-righteousness.”

The appointment has been repeated throughout the Moon Jae-in administration, but politicians say, “The atmosphere is different this time.” This is because the recent negative public opinion against President Moon has not been serious. The disciplinary disposition of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, which President Moon approved, sparked a headwind in citing the Seoul Administrative Court’s request for suspension of execution, and controversy about securing the corona 19 vaccine procrastination recently arose. In various opinion polls, the approval rate for President Moon fell to the 30% range, and it is on a decline.

The fact that candidate Byeon, the successor of the policy stance, caused various controversies in a situation where the real estate situation, the Achilles heel of the Moon Jae-in government’s Achilles heel, did not show any signs, is an evaluation that raised the government’s burden. Candidate Byun came up with rumors about Kim Mo-gun, a non-regular worker who died while repairing the screen door of Guui Station on Subway Line 2 four years ago, with the intention of “because of his carelessness,” and he was suspicious of regular arrears of fines and his eldest daughter’s admission to Yale University in the United States. I was in trouble at the hearing due to the suspicion of dad’s chance.

In addition, as candidate Byeon received a credit card loan in 2006 and bought an apartment in Bangbae-dong, Seoul, it became known that “the ability of real estate policy is also questionable” (people from the power of the people) continue to protest. On the 24th, the Justice Party also adopted the party argument that candidate Byeon was ineligible.

A key official of the people’s strength said, “If even the appointment of candidate Byeon is enforced, President Moon’s lame duck, which began with the defeat of the discipline of President Yoon, will accelerate.” The power of the people, members of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are scheduled to release a statement saying, “President Moon should directly withdraw the nomination of candidate Byeon” just before discussing the adoption of the hearing report tomorrow morning.

Reporter Son Kook-hee [email protected]