Safety minister-designate Park In-yong on Thursday admitted to a series of accusations, including that he played golf just two days after North Korea’s deadly shelling of a front-line South Korean island, and apologized for his actions.

The former Navy admiral was alleged to have played golf at a military-owned facility after an attack by the North in November 2010 that left four dead.

“I played sports after the attack. Although I had not been serving in the Navy at the time, it was an inappropriate action as a high-ranking public official,” Park said during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.

Members of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy said the incident shows he is not qualified to lead the newly created Ministry of Public Safety and Security that will act as the country’s emergency control tower.

“How can someone who played golf just two days after a North Korea attack possibly be interested in the safety of the people?” said Rep. Seo Yeong-kyo of the NPAD.

Park was also questioned over allegations that he falsely registered his address, repeatedly failed to pay traffic fines, falsified a contract during a real estate deal and received illegal income tax deductions, which had surfaced soon after President Park Geun-hye tapped him to lead the safety ministry.

Park admitted to most of the allegations, but said his tax dodging and fake contract were not intentional and offered an apology for his blunders.

While a majority of the questions at the hearing sought details about his financial misdeeds, NPAD lawmakers also questioned whether a lifetime military man was the best person to lead a ministry of safety.

The ruling Saenuri Party, on the other hand, was more favorable toward the candidate.

Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the ruling Saenuri asked how Park planned on leading an organization consisting of officials from various government agencies and ministries, and advised him to study the cases of the U.S., Japan and Germany that have long histories of dealing with disasters.

Park said he would use his experience as a high-ranking military official to lead the Safety Ministry. On doubts about his lack of experience in dealing with disasters, Park responded by saying he would stop wearing suits in a symbolic gesture that he will be more involved in crisis management.

Contrary to the grilling Park had to face, a confirmation hearing for Fair Trade Commission head Jeong Jae-chan went amicably, as both parties spoke highly of the nominee. “It is very fortunate that we (opposition lawmakers) did not find any flaws concerning the candidate’s integrity,” said Shin Hak-yong of the NPAD.

Jeong vowed to work on President Park’s “economic democratization” pledge that centers on redistribution of wealth currently focused on large conglomerates. This will ultimately revitalize the overall economy, he said.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)