Surge in 0-Witness Hearings… Controversy Over the Effectiveness of Personnel Vetting

Of the 39 confirmation hearings for highranking public officials held since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, 32 were conducted without witnesses. The seven hearings starting on the 14th are also highly likely to be held without witnesses, leading to criticism that the hearings are being run as a formality. According to the National Assembly’s bill information system on the 13th, in hearings held since June 4 last year, the majority had no witnesses or reference witnesses selected at all. In many cases, the opposition requested witnesses regarding allegations against the nominees, but the ruling party did not accept them, and hearings for the prime minister and some ministerial nominees were also held without witnesses. PSPD criticized the refusal to select witnesses as blocking verification of nominees and turning hearings into a mere formality. However, there were also past cases in which the opposition unilaterally selected large numbers of witnesses and reference witnesses, prompting criticism that attitudes change depending on the administration.