▲ Candidate of Minister of Science and Technology Hye-suk Lim-Candidate of Minister of Sea and Water Park Jun-young


Hearings were mixed at the so-called'Super Week' hearing last week, when a personnel hearing was held together for the prime minister and five ministerial candidates.

Among the five ministries, candidate Moon Seung-wook of the Ministry of Industry and Gyung-deok Gyeong-deok of the Ministry of Employment and Labor survived to become ministers, while the remaining three candidates from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are in fact waiting for'disposition' by the Blue House and the Democratic Party.

The opposition party earlier ruled ineligible for these three candidates.



The biggest concern is who will survive among the remaining three ministerial candidates.

In the end, it is a question of whether the Blue House will enforce the appointment of all three or will give up some of them. At present, it seems that there is a high possibility that it will be a'two-handed battle' between the candidates for the Ministry of Science and Technology Lim Hye-sook and the candidate for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Park Jun-young.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Noh Hyeong-wook is in an atmosphere of surviving.

The opposition party's offensive also focused on two candidates, Lim Hye-sook and Park Jun-young.

If some candidates are sorted in consideration of public opinion and opposition party opposition, it is highly likely that one of the two candidates will resign or fall out.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that both will be excluded.


Candidate Hye-suk Lim was struck by saturation...

Science "No more than plagiarism of thesis"


In particular, it was Lim Hye-suk, a candidate for the Minister of Science and Technology, who was selected as the'Nakma No. 1'. Although Candidate Lim has been well-received as a domestic authority in the field of electronic engineering, which is a wasteland of female scholars, the opposition party was intensified as two daughters of dual citizenship, suspicions of accompanying family trips, plagiarism of thesis, apartment down contracts, etc. . The opposition party rallied, saying, "Is it a woman's motherland?"



The only reason the saturation was concentrated on Candidate Lim is that'family' was involved in many of the allegations raised. The suspicion of accompanying a family member on a business trip abroad that received government funding was labeled as'Mom Chance' of a child who met good parents. Criticism was poured out over the posting of her husband, who is a professor, as a co-author 18 times in a dissertation written by a student. It was pointed out that it did not fit the sentiment of the people regardless of the post-war circumstances, considering that the social level and intensity of resentment for the so-called'family preference' of the upper class increased during the situation of former Minister Cho Kuk.



Even from the standpoint of the ruling party in cover, the suspicion of Lim's family was a problem that could not be overlooked. During the hearing, the most common expressions in the ruling party were words such as'people's eye level' and'public sentiment'. This is the reason why the Democratic Party, which suffered a recent re-election defeat, wrapped up candidate Lim, saying, "There is no fatal flaw," but hesitated that "there is a side that touches the sentiment of the people." This background played a part in the reason why Candidate Lim was selected as the number one fallout.



The clues to the reversal occurred on the evening of the 6th, two days after the hearing. The Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies, the Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology, and the Korean Association of Science Journal Editors raised the stance that candidate Lim's alleged plagiarism cannot be viewed as plagiarism. The above organization said, "Candidate Im wrote the contents of past academic journals in the master's degree thesis of student A, who raised the question, and these two thesis have different hypotheses and conclusions." It is difficult to say that the thesis for a master's degree is plagiarism because it is included as an author.” It was explained that plagiarism cannot be regarded as plagiarism because it is copying others' ideas, research contents, and results.



Regarding the publication of the student B's master's thesis (2006) as an academic journal thesis (2006) and the 1st author notation of candidate Lim's husband, "Republishing the degree thesis as an academic journal is encouraged by the science and technology community. In addition, B master's degree is also encouraged by the scientific and technological community. It is difficult to say that it is plagiarism because life is included as the author.” Next, regarding the suspicion of the author's labeling by her husband, he said, "The controversy over the author and the order of writing of the paper is also difficult to get involved from outside because the order of authors is a promise between authors." In fact, it was decided that there was no problem with the alleged plagiarism of candidate Lim's thesis.




The official and joint positions of the three organizations representing the Korean scientific community are unusual in themselves and are close to a fact that deserves attention as they have extraordinary meaning and weight. However, the hearing hall was already closed, and the arrow had long since left the bow. It was too late, considering that the hearing issue is usually set in advance from the time the request for personnel hearing is submitted to the National Assembly to the opening of the hearing, within one to two weeks, and through verification by the opposition party and the media. The statement did not receive much attention because of the hearing of the candidate Kim Bu-gyeom.



However, considering that among the suspicions related to Candidate Lim, the issue of plagiarism is the issue of thesis plagiarism that is directly linked to the minister's performance and morality as a scholar. The most important thing for a scholar is research achievements and research ethics, and if there is no problem in this part, it means that he will get out of the'reason for fatal disqualification'. The fact that the current government's ratio of female ministers is less than the 30% pledged by President Moon Jae-in (22%) is a factor to put hope on from the standpoint of Candidate Lim. In the scientific community, there are opinions about whether candidate Lim is being disadvantaged because he is a woman and a professor who is not a bureaucrat or politician.



Nevertheless, the fact that the'public sentiment' problem is not completely resolved is still holding back.

The additional cost was borne by his own expense, and foreign countries are said to encourage family members to participate in the conference, but candidate Lim left the country with his family in most famous tourist destinations and resorts, such as Hawaii, Spain, Barcelona, ​​and Auckland, New Zealand.

Writing down contracts for apartments was a common practice, but it doesn't seem good to angry real estate public sentiment.

However, the argument that the dual citizenship problem of the two daughters has been abused as a means of evading military service until now is fueled by the assertion that the issue is being raised excessively.


"What did you buy, I'm crazy" Pottery smuggling, "Possibility to violate customs laws"


On the contrary, what seems to be a problem is the spouse's suspicion of smuggling ceramics raised to candidate Park Jun-young of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. When Candidate Park was working as a construction councilor at the British embassy, ​​there is a suspicion that his wife brought over 1,000 pieces of ceramics, including tea cups, plates, and tea kettles, as'diplomat's items' without customs declaration. It was a problem when it was revealed that the spouse's wife photographed hundreds of pottery pieces and posted them on social media, and even suspicion that some of them were sold at a spouse's cafe without a retail business report.



Candidate Park explained that "most of them were purchased at the British flea market, and the most expensive one was about 30,000 won," but the opposition party's intensive offensive could not be avoided. For that reason, it was not an exaggeration to say that the personnel hearing of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries held on the 4th was actually a pottery hearing and a smuggling hearing. Opposition lawmakers' inquiries focused on smuggling suspicions as the chandeliers (ceiling lighting fixtures) that the wife posted on social media were also on the cutting board. "Have you lived in the palace?", "I thought you had the treasure from the shipwreck", and sarcastic words poured out.



The key is whether it violates actual laws such as the customs law. Under the Customs Act, if you lived abroad with your family, you do not have to pay tax on some moving items brought into Korea. There are just a few conditions. 1) The quantity, etc., is normally recognized for home use, 2) it has been used for more than 3 months, and 3) it must continue to be used after entering the country. These are the contents of the Enforcement Regulations of the Customs Act.


(Reference)


Article 48-2 of the Enforcement Regulations of the Customs Act (moving goods exempted from customs duties)


①

Goods exempted from customs duties pursuant to

Article 96 (1) 2 of the Act are Korean nationals and have established a residence in a foreign country for one year (family If accompanied, it shall fall under any of the following subparagraphs brought in by a person who has lived in Korea for more than 6 months) or is a foreigner or permanent resident abroad who intends to set up a residence in Korea for more than one year (6 months if accompanied by a family member): .


1. Considering the nature, quantity, and use of the item, it is generally recognized for home use, and has been used for at least 3 months before entering Korea and recognized to be used continuously after entering Korea.


However, many customs experts say that Park doesn't seem to be the case.

The biggest problem is the number of ceramics reaching '1,250 points'.

One customs company reported on SBS,'① The quantity is 1,250 points, which is a quantity that is difficult to be admitted for home use. ② It is difficult to believe that 1,250 pieces of ceramics have been used in the UK for more than 3 months, and ③ it is difficult to continue to use ceramics after entering the country. No, it was sold through cafes and the Internet, so it does not apply to moving items.'

In this case, experts believe that in accordance with the provisions of Article 270 of the Customs Act on the crime of evasion, experts may be punished by imprisonment for not more than three years or a fine not exceeding 5 times the amount of tariff reduction.


▶ Bringing in 1,000 pieces of pottery…

"I can't meet the duty-free requirements" (2021.05.07 8News)



Regardless of the punishment, there are opinions that the suspicion itself does not fit the public sentiment.

In the UK, it is known that you can purchase high-quality porcelain, which is popular in Korea, very cheaply.

Similarly, if a civil servant dispatched to France or Italy bought a large quantity of famous local luxury shoes or bags at a cheaper price than in Korea and brought them as luggage of a relatively loose diplomat or moving goods of a family, and even sold them, It's a matter that deserves a big upset.

There is no way to prove that the pottery is up to 30,000 won, but there is a counterargument that "when I looked for a similar item, it was over 1 million won in a department store."

From the point of view of ordinary citizens, who have had experience of undergoing a customs inspection close to a search every time they travel abroad before the Corona and having been affirmed by the limited duty-free limit, it is deserving of resentment.




Candidate Park said at the hearing on the alleged violation of the customs law, "I will follow the measures of the Korea Customs Service."

In addition, he replied "yes" to the opposition lawmaker's question whether he would take responsibility if it was confirmed that it violated the customs law.

To follow the measures and take responsibility does not necessarily mean that you will resign, but if it is revealed that you have violated the actual law, it will not have a small impact.

Under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, there is a sea police, and the sea police crack down on violations of the customs law, such as smuggling.

At the hearing, Rep. Ahn Byung-gil said, "How can we crack down on those who have engaged in illegal fishing or smuggling in the sea, saying,'I have a living. The minister also said that'?"

And criticized candidate Park.


Sharpened spear, dull shield, poor verification

Apart from individual suspicion, what stood out at the hearing at this hearing is the sharpening offensive by the opposition party. In recent years, at personnel hearings, the opposition party, especially the people's power, was evaluated as not being sharp. It is true that it was much weaker than the Democratic Party that produced hearing stars and snipers. There were many cases where only the screaming or the rim rang. In the opposition party, there was even a self-help that the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye regimes lost their ferality for 10 years.



This time it was different. He overwhelmed the hearing with pottery photos found on the candidate's spouse's SNS, and at the hearing of candidate Lim Hye-suk, he preoccupied the lead with a suspicious'gajitsu'. It is undeniable that the opposition party succeeded in leading the government of the hearing, regardless of the right and wrong and the depth of the content of the suspicion.




On the other hand, the Democratic Party's shield was noticeably dull.

The proper response to the opposition's offensive was invisible, and as the side was in a hurry, irrational numbers emerged one after another.

Regarding the suspicion of Candidate Park, "(wife) wanted to contribute to living with a tight public official's salary, and to help with life when my husband retires without knowing that he might become a minister, I convened these works at a flea market and tried to make exhibits while opening a cafe. Democratic Party Rep. Yoon Jae-gap's remarks, "I think it's in good faith that the people you see want to buy it."

They said, "Even if there is a mistake, it is a spouse's problem," but they know that there are countless number of public officials who have fallen down due to their spouse's problem.

Most of all, even in an offensive that would not have made a single eye budge in the past, he was shaken back and forth and blamed the media.

The biggest cause is probably the result of re-election.

This is how the public sentiment is so scary.



The Blue House verification was still poor.

The suspicion of the candidate Noh Hyeong-wook's apartment construction in Sejong City was an issue that could be filtered out in advance.

It seems that the opposition party did not even recognize the pottery photos found by searching the Internet.

The difficulty now has a lot of self-initiated side.

Up until now, it has been pushing with high approval ratings, but now the situation has changed.


The Blue House with deep concerns...

Decide as early as today


The deadline for submitting a personnel hearing report for candidates for the minister is until today (10th). If it exceeds today, the Blue House can request a resend, and after that, the appointment can be enforced without the consent of the opposition. It is known that the issue of the personnel hearing for the ministerial candidate was discussed as a major agenda at a meeting of the high-ranking party government office, where officials from the Blue House, the Democratic Party, and the government gathered yesterday evening. It is possible that the strand has already been caught. The Democratic Party's leadership said, "It is an internal airflow to organize candidates to be organized according to the public's perspective."



Cheongwa-daero is struggling with the defeat of the re-election and the decline in approval ratings. It is obvious that public sentiment has deteriorated and the government's political crunch is obviously going to be pushed forward. The current administration's term of office is less than a year left. I encountered a difficult homework at the time when I had to stably finish the state affairs task. Whether to enforce the appointment of the minister is expected to be decided as early as today.