July 15th Minister and National Tax Service Commissioner Confirmation Hearing, a Time for Policy Verification

The Meaning of Ministerial Confirmation Hearings

The personnel hearing system was introduced to verify the qualifications, morality, policy capabilities, and national philosophy of high-ranking public officials before the people. By allowing the National Assembly to oversee the appointments in the executive branch, it aims to realize the function of democratic control and to ensure transparency and fairness in public appointments. However, recently, the personnel hearing has transformed into a platform for political confrontation rather than maintaining the essence of the system. The ruling and opposition parties are increasingly using it as a means of political strife, focusing more on personal attacks and damage to image rather than on policy verification.

Confirmation Hearing on July 15, 2025

The confirmation hearings for five ministerial candidates scheduled for July 15, 2025, symbolically showcase these issues. The opposition party, the People Power Party, has been raising various allegations against the candidates for the Minister of National Defense, Minister of Environment, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups, and the Commissioner of the National Tax Service, even before the hearings take place, creating a 'falling frame.' However, these candidates are presenting clear policy directions regarding the crises and issues within their respective ministries and are preparing based on a sense of responsibility and expertise as public officials. Nevertheless, the opposition continues to amplify controversies that are unrelated to policies, obscuring the essence of the hearings.

The military personnel structure reform of candidate Ahn Kyu-baek

The defense minister candidate, Ahn Gyu-baek, a former lawmaker, is a security expert with a five-term career and 14 years of experience in the National Assembly's Defense Committee. He has presented the fundamental transformation of the service system and the specialization of troops as key tasks, emphasizing that "it is time to shift from quantitative expansion to qualitative eliteization." He has notably publicized the need for a unified military academy, revealing reform plans to enhance the efficiency and integration of the military organization. Candidate Ahn believes it is necessary to break away from the existing rank-centered troop structure and to increase the ratio of long-serving possible officers in response to the reduction of military resources, the digitalization of combat environments, and the strengthening of North Korea's asymmetric capabilities.

Energy Transition Policy of Candidate Kim Seong-hwan

The Minister of Environment candidate, former lawmaker Kim Seong-hwan, presents 'climate crisis response' and 'just transition' as core philosophies. He sponsored the Carbon Neutrality Basic Act in the 21st National Assembly and has been a policy-oriented politician who consistently promotes practical energy transition measures such as expanding renewable energy supply, introducing a carbon tax, and diversifying hydrogen energy. During the preparation process for this confirmation hearing, Candidate Kim has also proposed specific directions to strengthen the independence and transparency of environmental impact assessments.

Improvement of Candidate Kwon Oh-eul's Veterans Policy

The candidate for the Minister of Veterans Affairs, former lawmaker Kwon Oh-eul, is a graduate of the administrative examination and has been continuously involved in welfare and veterans policy since the 1990s. He believes that the lives of national merit recipients should be approached from the perspective of 'social compensation for dedication' and emphasizes that veterans policy should be restructured from simple financial support to a comprehensive support system throughout their entire life cycle. Among his key pledges are: the establishment of an integrated medical and welfare platform for national merit recipients, strengthening veterans education, expanding tailored support for young veterans, and enhancing the functions of local veterans offices.

Digital Transformation Strategy of Candidate Han Seong-sook

Han Seong-sook, a candidate for the Minister of SMEs and Startups, is a prominent female entrepreneur who has led South Korea's platform industry. Immediately after her nomination as a candidate, she announced her resignation from her advisory position at Naver and stated her intention to sell all of her shares and stock options. This is interpreted as a measure to preemptively prevent any conflicts of interest as a public official and to secure independence in policy implementation. Candidate Han has proposed digital transformation support for small and medium-sized enterprises and the creation of a fair platform ecosystem as her key policy directions.

The restoration of trust in taxation by candidate Lim Kwang-hyun

Im Gwang-hyun, the nominee for the Commissioner of the National Tax Service, is an internal expert with over 30 years of experience in national tax administration. He has presented the restoration of fairness and neutrality in tax administration as a top priority, stating the principle that he will "prevent tax evasion and ensure proper taxation." Notably, he has proposed key pledges such as the advancement of a detailed analysis system for large corporations and high-income self-employed individuals, the transparency of artificial intelligence-based tax audit selection algorithms, and improvements to tax dispute procedures.

Restoration of Political Responsibility and the Essence of Hearings

The current confirmation hearing raises serious concerns as the policies and governance philosophies presented by the candidates are being overshadowed by political attacks. The key focus of the hearing is to assess whether the individual entrusted with national governance has a clear vision and the capability to fulfill that role diligently. However, the opposition's attacks seem concentrated on raising suspicions and framing issues, appearing more as a strategic attempt aimed at undermining rather than genuine verification. Public officials cannot be perfect.