'Ineffective' Confirmation Hearings Prompt Proposals: Strengthening Material Submission Authority and Separating Moral Verification Suggested

42 Confirmation Hearing Act Amendments Pending in the National Assembly
Mandatory Submission of Materials by Nominees
Proposal for Separate Reviews of Morality and Policy

With Assemblyman Kim Seung-won of the Democratic Party of Korea and others stepping down as nominees for Minister of Justice, the so-called “sitting lawmakers are invincible” rule has also been broken during the confirmation hearings. Since the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration, a total of three sitting lawmakers have failed to pass their confirmation hearings, including Kang Sun-woo, the former nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and Yong Hyein, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, last year.

In particular, Assemblyman Kim’s confirmation hearing held on the 15th was a “watered-down” session, as there were zero witnesses and reference persons present. Furthermore, despite the ruling party's adoption of the confirmation hearing report, the nominee was forced to step down due to revelations by former aides that were not discussed during the hearing, fueling the argument that the hearings are meaningless. As a result, amending the law to reinforce the confirmation hearing system is now being considered.

According to the National Assembly's legislative information system on the 26th, there are currently 42 amendments to the Confirmation Hearing Act pending in the 22nd National Assembly. Of these, 26 pertain to reforms for improving the hearing system, and 16 propose establishing hearings for positions such as Secretary-General of the National Election Commission, Commissioner General of the National Investigation Headquarters, and Chairperson of the National Education Commission.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hyunwoo Shin = On the 16th, during the confirmation hearing for Kang Sinchul, nominee for Minister of National Defense, at the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, the seats for witnesses and reference persons remain empty. 2026.9.16 nowwego@yna.co.kr (End)

In particular, bills have been introduced to strengthen the National Assembly’s authority to request materials in order to make confirmation hearings more substantial. Joo Jin-woo, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, recently sponsored the so-called “Kim Seung-won Prevention Act,” which mandates punishment for nominees who make false statements during hearings and requires compulsory submission of materials. The bill also stipulates imprisonment for one to three years for making false statements or submitting false written answers.

Assemblyman Joo cited the background of the bill, noting that 64.6% of requested materials for Assemblyman Kim’s hearing were not submitted at the time, and that the nominee’s own summary order for drunk driving was withheld, citing concerns of privacy infringement.

Within the People Power Party, there are also bills that require materials related to the spouse and immediate family of the nominee to be included in the submission list, prohibit the refusal of materials submission on the grounds of personal information protection (Yoo Sang-beom’s bill), impose on nominees the legal duty to faithfully submit materials and respond to questions (Kang Sun-young’s bill), and add provisions relating to perjury in the nominee's oath (Cho Eun-hee and Kim Hee-jeong’s bill).

In the Democratic Party, proposed bills also seek to improve the procedures for requesting materials from the institutions to which public office candidates belong, and to impose penalties if the nominee refuses to submit answers or materials without justifiable reason (Kim Yong-man’s bill).

Conversely, there is an argument that separating moral verification from policy verification would make confirmation hearings more effective. Critics point out that current hearings focus excessively on personal matters, family issues, or morality rather than the candidate's policy direction or capability.

On September 16, Assemblyman Lee Kwang-jae of the Democratic Party commented on YTN Radio, "If things continue like this, no one will want to become a minister. They ask for family bank statements, academic records, and even university diplomas—who would be willing to go through that?"

Asserting the need for related amendments, Assemblyman Lee said, "There should be a policy-focused hearing, and moral questions about the nominee should be handled privately or, as in the United States, subject to criminal punishment only if there is dishonesty in documents submitted beforehand." He added, "The hearing law should be amended while the Democratic Party is the majority party."

Indeed, related amendments to the Confirmation Hearing Act submitted under the names of Democratic Party lawmakers Moon Jin-seok, Moon Kum-ju, Kang Deuk-gu, Yoon Kun-young, and Heo Young are currently pending in the National Assembly. The main idea is to split the procedure: conducting a Public Ethics Hearing for verifying integrity and ethical standards, and a separate Public Competency Hearing for assessing expertise and policy capability.

The Public Ethics Hearing, in principle, would be closed to the public to protect privacy and prevent infringement of human rights, but can be opened to the public by committee resolution if the public’s right to know is deemed necessary.

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