[Reporter’s Notebook] "Naeronambul" Has No Effect Anymore

There is a four-syllable Korean expression that, while not an official idiom, appears in news headlines and official events almost as a matter of routine. It is "Naeronambul," meaning "when I do it, it’s romance; when others do it, it’s an affair." This phrase was reportedly coined by former National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae in response to controversy over "poaching lawmakers" by his own party (then the New Korea Party) following the 15th general election in 1996.

More than 30 years later, in September of this year, this new pseudo-idiom is now widely cited as a cause of the decline in approval ratings for state affairs. Throughout this so-called "Super Week" of confirmation hearings, the government and ruling party could not escape accusations of hypocrisy.

The most closely watched event was likely the confirmation hearing for Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seungwon, which took place on September 15. Allegations that Kim was requested to intervene in GeneNCell’s COVID-19 drug approval process became the biggest issue, potentially determining whether he would be appointed. Nevertheless, the hearing was conducted without a single witness. When I asked a Democratic Party lawmaker in a private setting whether it is normal for a confirmation hearing to have zero witnesses or reference persons, he raised his voice, saying, "The People Power Party insists on even calling in family members. How can we reach an agreement if their position is to shatter families?"

However, is there a valid reason to exclude key figures such as officials from GeneNCell or the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety? During the hearing, Seo Youngkyo, a Democratic Party lawmaker and chairwoman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, suggested, "This morning, I called the governing party's floor leader Kim Uigyeom and the opposition leader Park Hyungsoo. If Kang Sechan, the former professor who founded GeneNCell, or others can attend even today, let’s ask them to do so." In the end, despite the Democratic Party’s earlier position against summoning witnesses, they acknowledged the need for direct testimonies on the day of the hearing itself.

In the previous administration, the Democratic Party repeatedly raised issues over the failure to summon witnesses or their nonattendance at confirmation hearings. Past remarks are now being revisited: "If there’s nothing to hide, there’s no reason to oppose the selection of witnesses or reference persons" (Kim Gyoheung, then Democratic Party floor leader of the Public Administration and Security Committee, July 2022), and "When key witnesses don’t attend, it’s an insult to the National Assembly" (Lee Sangsik, Democratic Party lawmaker, July 2024).

Suspicions surrounding Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance nominee Lee Hyungil's alleged "non-residence," Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Hong Jiseon's "leveraged property investment," and Minister of National Defense nominee Kang Shinchul's "false address registration" have also fueled public anger. The reasons behind the decline in the government's approval rating are clear: hypocrisy will not work.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.