During the National Assembly confirmation hearing for Han Seong-sook, the prime minister candidate, which took place on June 25, legislators questioned her position on North Korea and the procedure for selling her property. The People Power Party examined her views on diplomacy and security, highlighting that she was chosen as the prime minister candidate just one year after taking on the role of Minister of SMEs and Startups, following her time as head of Naver. The Democratic Party of Korea commended her for selling three of her four homes before the hearing, saying, “There are few people like this” and “she deserves high praise.” The hearing did not include witnesses or references due to disputes between the ruling and opposition parties. The People Power Party criticized, “The Democratic Party is undermining the National Assembly’s authority to assess nominees.”
During the hearing, Han addressed Rep. Kim Seon-gyo (Yeoju-Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi) from the People Power Party, who inquired, “Who is our main enemy?” by stating, “Any entity that threatens the Republic of Korea is our enemy,” without directly mentioning North Korea. When Rep. Kim Hee-jung (Yeonje, Busan) from the People Power Party stated, “The North Korean military and regime are our main enemy,” Han responded, “I will carefully consider your remarks.” In response to a question about whether the June 25 War was a Northern or Southern invasion, Han initially said, “Northern invasion,” then corrected herself to “Southern invasion,” adding, “I was nervous.”
Rep. Park Seon-won (Bupyeong, Incheon) from the Democratic Party remarked, “In the event that inter-Korean relations improve, Han might host a summit with North Korea. It is not suitable to refer to such an individual as an ‘enemy.’” Rep. Choi Hyuck-jin (proportional representation), an independent who has sought to rejoin the Democratic Party, commented, “The primary adversary of South Korea is the person who directed weapons at our beloved children in the direction of the National Assembly and tried to assassinate the opposition leader on Gadeokdo.”
Lawmakers also raised questions about Han’s sale of three of her four properties before the hearing. She had previously owned a detached house in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul; an apartment in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul; an office-tel in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul; and a detached house in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi. She sold the Jamsil apartment in May and recently sold the Yeoksam-dong office-tel and the Yangpyeong house, leaving her with one property. Opposition parties criticized, “She did not sell these properties while serving as a minister but discarded them to become prime minister.”
Han apologized during the hearing, stating, “I regret having multiple homes, which might not meet public expectations.” Representative Park Gyun-taek from the Democratic Party, representing Gwangsan Gap in Gwangju, mentioned, “It seems her previous real estate holdings were not acquired for speculative reasons.” Representative Park Seon-won added, “She deserves high praise for selling most of her properties in a short time, even though it was late, in accordance with the policies of the Lee Jae Myung administration. There aren’t many people like that.” When lawmakers from the People Power Party referred to President Lee Jae Myung’s past comparison of multiple homeowners to ‘demons,’ asking, “Has she changed from a demon to a human?” Han responded, “If that’s how you see it, I suppose I have become human.” When asked if she would invest in real estate after leaving office, she said, “I won’t.”
The hearing took place without any witnesses or references, much like Kim Min-seok’s confirmation hearing from a year ago. Rep. Kang Seung-gyu (Hongseong-Yesan, Chungnam), secretary of the Han Seong-sook confirmation special committee from the People Power Party, criticized, “Is a hearing without witnesses becoming the new standard? The National Assembly’s verification power is being undermined.” In response, Rep. Kim Han-gyu (Jeju Eul, Jeju), secretary from the Democratic Party, stated, “We agreed to accept most witnesses except those related to the Seongnam FC case, which the People Power Party insists on turning into a political issue. However, the People Power Party maintained that all requested witnesses must be accepted.” The parties also had disagreements regarding document submissions. The People Power Party claimed many required documents were not provided, while the Democratic Party questioned, “Why are 30 years of blood donation records and high school grades needed?” The hearing is scheduled to continue until June 26.
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