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With confirmation hearings for President Lee Jae-myung’s cabinet nominees set to begin next week, the opposition People Power Party (PPP) has pledged a hardline stance, targeting allegations of academic plagiarism and real estate improprieties.

Hearings for 17 nominees, including 16 ministerial candidates, the nominee for National Tax Service commissioner, and Constitutional Court justice nominee Oh Young-jun, will take place between July 14 and 18. President Lee has named candidates for 17 out of 19 ministries, with Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong retaining her post.

The PPP has made it clear it will focus its fire on Education Minister nominee Lee Jin-sook and Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jung Eun-kyeong, whom they aim to disqualify. Lee is under fire for allegedly “salami-slicing” and duplicating her academic research, with even some Lee Jae-myung supporters calling for her nomination to be withdrawn. According to Rep. Kim Min-jeon of the PPP, two of Lee’s papers published in separate journals are nearly identical in title, methodology, and conclusions. The Korea Citation Index (KCI) found a 35% similarity between the two—well above the 25% threshold that typically triggers formal plagiarism review.

Rep. Cho Jung-hoon, opposition coordinator on the Education Committee, criticized, “Has the standard for plagiarism and research ethics been lowered because we have a new government? The education minister, who also serves as deputy prime minister for social affairs, holds a key role in shaping our nation’s future. We won’t allow a careless confirmation that puts education at risk.”

Controversy is also swirling around nominee Jung Eun-kyeong over her husband’s farmland, which he allegedly does not farm himself—potentially violating the Farmland Act, which permits ownership only by those who cultivate the land. The PPP pointed out that her husband currently practices medicine in Incheon, making direct farming unlikely.

Small and Medium Business Administration nominee Han Sung-sook is under scrutiny for allegedly gifting her Songpa-district apartment to family members in a way that circumvents tax laws. Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun faces backlash over his spouse’s reported profit of over 1 billion won ($770,000) from parceling and reselling road-adjacent plots in Yongsan District.

Meanwhile, the PPP launched the “People’s Vetting Committee Against Personnel Disasters in the Lee Jae-myung Government” to rally public support. With signs of disillusionment among core conservative voters following the presidential defeat, the party is hoping the hearings can reverse its sagging momentum.

PPP emergency committee leader and floor leader Song Eon-seok said at the committee’s opening ceremony, “Despite multiple legal violations, Kim Min-seok was appointed prime minister. Now they're ramming through ministerial nominees. The PPP will hold them accountable during these hearings.”

Deputy floor leader Yoo Sang-beom added during a press briefing, “The public is lamenting that these confirmation hearings have become a showcase of criminal conduct rather than qualification reviews. We will not sit idly by and allow another personnel disaster.”