Rep. Kang Sun-woo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday expressed her intention to decline President Lee Jae Myung's nomination for the role of gender equality minister amid ballooning controversies over her suspected abuse of authority in the workplace.
Her announcement comes a day after President Lee reaffirmed his intention to push ahead with the troubled nomination on Tuesday, by requesting that the National Assembly forward a report on the confirmation hearing proceedings by Thursday. According to the presidential office, the same request was made regarding the nominees for Defense Minister, Veterans Minister and the Unification Minister.
Kang, 47, said in a post on her Facebook that she regretted "placing a burden" on President Lee and her party. The two-time lawmaker added that she had hoped to put (her) heart and soul into (the role of Gender Equality Minister), but realized that she had "reached the end."
Her Facebook post followed one by Rep. Park Chan-dae, who currently vies for leadership of the ruling Democratic Party, where he called for Kang to make a "difficult decision for the success of the Lee Jae Myung administration." Following Kang's announcement, Park thanked Kang for her decision in another Facebook post.
Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a Wednesday briefing that Kang had delivered her intention to decline her nomination when she met Lee's Chief of Staff, Kang Hoon-sik, that same day. She added that the presidential office will swiftly complete the vetting process for a new Gender Equality Minister nomination.
Kang Sun-woo was the second Cabinet minister nominee to drop out before receiving final presidential approval. Earlier on Sunday, President Lee canceled his nomination for Education Minister, Lee Jin-sook, and remained mum on Kang, amid calls from the main opposition People Power Party to reverse at least two minister nominations in an apparent reference to Kang and Lee.
Before her decision, Kang was embroiled in controversies over allegedly asking her secretaries to do personal chores multiple times, using her power to prevent her ex-subordinate from working for a fellow lawmaker, and threatening a budget cut to get her way in dealings with former Gender Equality Minister Chung Young-ai. Kang is also suspected to have shown disrespect in the classroom when she worked as a professor of Sungkyunkwan University.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
