PPP boycotts Lee Hye-hoon hearing

Jan 19, 2026, 07:52 am

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Lee Hye-hoon, nominee for minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, answers reporters’ questions as she arrives at her confirmation hearing preparation office in Seoul on Jan. 16. / Yonhap

South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party on January 18 announced a full boycott of the confirmation hearing for Lee Hye-hoon, nominee for minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, branding her a “collection of corruption.”

Lawmakers from the PPP on the National Assembly’s Planning and Finance Committee held a press conference at the Assembly, saying Lee “belongs not in a parliamentary hearing room but in the seat of a criminal suspect.”

They accused the nominee of facing nearly 100 allegations, including abuse of power, real estate speculation, high-interest lending investments under her son’s name, inheritance tax evasion, preferential treatment in college admissions, military service and employment, interference in investigations, and alleged attempts to engineer political defeats.

The PPP also pointed to allegations involving an improperly obtained apartment subscription in Seocho District, saying police have launched an investigation on charges including fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and violations of the Housing Act. The party criticized Lee for threatening lawsuits and criminal complaints against opposition lawmakers and media outlets that raised the allegations, calling such actions “clear intimidation” and saying it is considering filing a complaint of its own.

Addressing the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the PPP urged it to stop shielding Lee, arguing that even if she is considered a close ally of President Lee Jae-myung, protecting a nominee facing criminal suspicions “shows contempt for the National Assembly and the public.”

The opposition also slammed Lee for what it described as inadequate submission of requested documents. It said she has continued to withhold additional materials citing privacy concerns, while the ruling party is pushing ahead with the hearing scheduled for January 19. “With only hollow paperwork and attempts at ‘washing away the past,’ no one can accept such answers,” the PPP said, dismissing the planned hearing as a “meaningless show.”

The party concluded by calling on Lee to “face reality and head to investigative authorities, not the National Assembly.”

#People Power Party #Lee Hye-hoon #confirmation hearing #National Assembly