Yoon appoints 42.6% of officials without opposition's consent

Two years and three months into his term, President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed 42.6% (26 out of 61) of public officials subject to personnel hearings without the consent of the opposition party and without the adoption of the National Assembly's personnel hearing report. During the same period, former President Moon Jae-in appointed 38% (24 out of 63) of such officials under similar circumstances.

On Sunday, The Dong-A Ilbo surveyed 61 public officials who were subject to personnel hearing requests from May 2022 to August of this year through the National Assembly Bill Information System. The survey revealed that less than half, only 30 individuals, were appointed by the president after the ruling and opposition parties adopted the personnel hearing report. Currently, the opposition party is opposing the nominations of Kim Yong-hyun for minister of National Defense, Kim Moon-soo for minister of Employment and Labor, and Ahn Chang-ho for chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, all of whom are scheduled for personnel hearings at the end of this month and early next month. President Yoon may proceed with their appointments regardless if the hearing report is not adopted.

In the political sphere, there is growing criticism that personnel hearings—intended to provide the National Assembly with a means to check the president's authority over appointments—are becoming increasingly ineffective. The opposition party has been accused of turning confirmation hearings into a platform for personal attacks and failing to properly scrutinize candidates. Meanwhile, the president has been criticized for repeatedly pushing appointments despite discovering disqualifying factors and disregarding the opposition party's objections.


조권형 buzz@donga.com