Anchor: A confirmation hearing is underway for Planning and Budget Minister nominee Lee Hye‑hoon after a partisan standoff prevented the hearing from proceeding as scheduled on Monday. The rival parties are grilling Lee on Friday as she faces bullying allegations, questions over her family’s real estate dealings, and controversies surrounding her three sons.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: At the start of her confirmation hearing Friday, Planning and Budget Minister nominee Lee Hye-hoon apologized in response to allegations that she had bullied her aides.

The nominee apologized to the people she hurt in the past, to the public and to President Lee Jae Myung for causing concern.

She also said she was sorry for past comments defending former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law action in late 2024.

But the nominee did not talk about her family’s real estate dealings or address controversies surrounding the preferential treatment her sons allegedly received during her political career.

The former three-term conservative lawmaker instead asked for an opportunity to serve in the Lee Jae Myung Cabinet and mentioned the president’s resolve to seek bipartisan cooperation by nominating her.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle chastised the nominee over allegations that her family cheated in the apartment subscription process to buy a unit in Seoul’s affluent Seocho District.

The ruling Democratic Party said if her eldest son deliberately delayed registering his marriage so his family could gain additional points under the subscription system, it would be a violation of the Housing Act.

In response, former Rep. Lee said her son had to stay in the family home despite renting an apartment in Seoul’s Yongsan District with his wife after their relationship went through a rough patch.

The main opposition People Power Party went on the offensive about allegations that the nominee’s sons were able to engage in various extracurriculars and enjoyed benefits in the university admissions process primarily due to her political status.

Both parties also criticized her for failing to submit all the requested documents related to the apartment subscription, as well as her memo, which allegedly includes information on her past elections and religious beliefs.​

The hearing is expected to continue into the late hours of Friday.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.