South Korea’s main political parties agreed on Tuesday to hold a confirmation hearing on Prime Minister nominee Rep. Lee Wan-koo next month.

But Lee’s fate appears already sealed, with senior lawmakers openly expressing their endorsement.

The confirmation hearing will be held from Feb. 9 to 10, officials from the governing Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy said after a meeting. They also agreed to a full parliamentary session on Feb. 12 to put the nomination to a final vote.

Lee will face an array of allegations lodged by the NPAD.

The main opposition party accuses the veteran politician’s son of dodging the nation’s mandatory military draft in 2006, by faking a ligament injury.

The NPAD also alleged that Lee condoned an influence peddling scandal involving his brother, who was arrested in 2011 for receiving bribes from government contractors in South Chungcheong Province. Lee had served as the provincial governor there from 2006 to 2009.

Other critics have raised suspicion that his in-laws speculated in real estate. His wife is accused of passing on 1,237 square meters of land to her brother in 2011, after the land price rose nearly tenfold according to some media reports citing land records.

Lee has vowed to answer all the allegations.

But statements made by senior Saenuri Party officials and even those from the main opposition suggest that Lee will likely pass his hearing.

“I congratulate Rep. Lee’s nomination. I am sure that he will do a great job there if he does as before (at the parliament),” NPAD floor leader Rep. Woo Yoon-keun said on Monday, in reference to Lee’s reputation as a moderate compromiser on divisive partisan issues.

Woo even presented a book to Lee at a meeting on Monday, entitled, “The Best Prime Minister, and the Worst Prime Minister.” He suggested Lee “skim through it” before his hearing next month, as the two colleagues shook hands in front of news cameras.

The prime minister nominee earned a name as a deal-broker during his term as the Saenuri Party floor leader last year. He is credited with making a breakthrough with the NPAD over the divisive special Sewol bill, a legislation that had kept lawmaking paralyzed for months at the Assembly.

Saenuri Party lawmakers have likewise expressed their endorsement of Lee, including Rep. Kim Jae-won, the deputy floor leader. They are also busy preparing for the party’s floor leader primary, to be held next Monday.

Rep. Lee Ju-young, former minister of maritime affairs, and Rep. Yoo Seong-min are the leading contenders to succeed Lee as the Saenuri floor leader. Whoever’s elected though, the new leadership is highly expected to vote in favor of Lee’s appointment to show party unity.

By Jeong Hunny ()


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com