A parliamentary confirmation hearing for prime minister nominee Han Duck-soo was cut short on Monday amid a boycott by the ruling Democratic Party(DP) and the minor Justice Party, citing Han's failure to submit all requested documents.

The hearing was adjourned only 39 minutes after it began at 10:00 a.m. without the two parties. The ruling and opposition parties aimed to settle differences and resume the hearing at 2:00 p.m. They have yet to restart the cross-examination, however. 

Rep. Kang Byung-won, the DP's senior member of the special hearing committee, expressed strong regret that the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) unilaterally began the hearing, despite the DP's earnest request to postpone it.

Before walking out of the hearing room, Kang said the submission of all relevant documents should precede verification so that parliament can carry out its vetting role on behalf of the public.

Rep. Sung Il-jong, the PPP senior member, said in response that his party assesses the nominee to have been relatively sincere in responding to the ruling party's document requests, which included his late parents' past real estate dealings.

Sung urged the rival parties to attend the hearing to give the public an opportunity to evaluate the nominee's morality, expertise and experience.