Confirmation hearing for budget minister nominee set for next Mon.

▲ Lee Hye-hoon, nominee for the minister of the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget, speaks to reporters on Jan. 12, 2026, in front of her office in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

budget minister nominee-hearing

Confirmation hearing for budget minister nominee set for next Mon.

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Rival parties reached an agreement to hold a confirmation hearing next Monday for Lee Hye-hoon, nominee to lead the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget, officials said Tuesday.

Members of the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party reached the agreement at a plenary session of the parliamentary Strategy and Finance Committee.

The nominee, a former three-term lawmaker from the conservative bloc, has drawn criticism from both ruling and opposition parties following President Lee Jae Myung's nomination last month.

The opposition bloc has urged nominee Lee to step down, citing suspicions related to her husband's real estate dealings and allegations over her treatment of subordinates and an intern during her tenure as a lawmaker.

The parties agreed to have four people, including officials from the National Tax Service and the land ministry, testify as witnesses at the hearing to address allegations surrounding Lee.

The parties also agreed to postpone the hearing if Lee failed to fulfill her obligations to submit documents requested by lawmakers.

The opposition party had initially sought to call 33 witnesses, but the ruling party objected, arguing that witnesses had rarely been summoned for past confirmation hearings for former ministers in charge of budget and finance.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved