Calls grow to strengthen scrutiny of ministerial candidates with backgrounds as members of the National Assembly

It has been found that 4 out of 5 ministerial candidates who were forced to withdraw under the Lee Jaemyung administration were current or former members of the National Assembly, leading to calls for stricter vetting of politician ministerial candidates. Kim Seungwon, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who had been nominated as Minister of Justice, voluntarily resigned on the 19th after various allegations were raised. The allegations related to Kim are being reviewed again at the investigation stage, and it has also become known that former aides submitted a petition containing allegations of accounting fraud, sexual harassment, and verbal abuse. Yong Hyein, a Basic Income Party lawmaker who had been nominated as Minister of Gender Equality and Family, also stepped down from the candidacy on the 13th amid controversy over holding both proportional representation lawmaker and ministerial positions, as well as being accused of violating the Political Funds Act. Earlier, lawmaker Kang Sunwoo and former lawmaker Lee Haehoon also dropped out after controversies grew during the confirmation hearing process. The article said that National Assembly members have been preferred as ministerial candidates because they undergo partylevel vetting through general elections, but recently they are no longer seen as a safe option as reports from aides and additional allegations continue to surface. Accordingly, calls are growing to strengthen morality checks and gather reputational assessments before nominating candidates.