Thorough background check needed for PM nominee

Suspicion is growing over Kim Yong-joon, who has been nominated as the first prime minister of the incoming Park Geun-hye administration. Though he was first considered a “perfect nominee" in dignity and ethics soon after his nomination and believed to be able to easily pass parliamentary confirmation hearings, questions over his character have been raised due to his two sons being exempted from mandatory military service and their questionable acquisition of real estate. Kim was appointed a justice of the Constitutional Court in 1988 and chief justice in 1994. He never went through a serious verification process, however, because confirmation hearings were not required at that time.

Both of his sons were exempt from military service. The older one was exempted for not meeting the stature and weight requirements in 1989 while attending university. The son`s friends testified that he was thin but not enough to be exempt. Kim`s younger son got an exemption in 1994 for gout, a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis. Back then, many draft dodgers used gout to avoid the draft. In the late 1980s and 90s, people with good connections with military officials could easily get exempted from military service because of the large youth population and an ample supply of recruits.

Kim`s assets are also fueling suspicion. In 1993, when a new system required senior public officials to report their assets and those of their immediate family, he reported nearly 3 billion won (2.8 billion U.S. dollars). Among the amount, his two sons’ real estate assets accounted for nearly two-thirds. Kim said his late wealthy mother bought the properties for her grandsons. The Dong-A Ilbo, however, has discovered that Kim visited Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, with a court clerk to check out the land now owned by his sons. Whether they paid inheritance taxes remains unclear. Because his mother is deceased, Kim should provide a clear explanation over the real estate suspicion by submitting relevant documents as proof.

Another problem is if President-elect Park’s style of keeping the utmost confidentiality in the selection process for candidates for high government offices has prevented thorough preliminary checks. Depending only on documents to verify a candidate`s qualifications has its limits. Also problematic is that the Prime Minister`s Office, which is in charge of preparing for Kim’s confirmation hearings, has secured few documents on the suspicions since they broke out three days ago.

The National Assembly should probe the suspicions and check everything about Kim from scratch. In addition to his ethical standards, parliament should also see if he is capable of assisting the president while performing his constitutional duty and responsibilities as a prime minister.