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Let's take a look at the ministerial candidate's personnel hearing held today (4th).
First of all, during the hearing of the candidate for Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, questions were mainly about the promises of the elected president, including the issue of the relocation of the presidential office.
Candidate Lee said there would be no problem with the military's readiness even if the Ministry of Defense moved.
Correspondent Won Jong-jin.
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Hearing of a candidate for the head of the Ministry of National Defense, who is packing the largest amount of luggage since the founding of the military on the promise of relocating the office of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol.
Democratic lawmakers focused on the move, saying they were concerned about a security vacuum due to the sudden move.
[Ahn Gyu-baek / Democratic Party member: I think it is a contradiction to decide arbitrarily without national consensus.
I am very concerned about the security gap as well as the morale of our military.]
Contrary to the announcement of the transition committee, it also argued that the cost of relocating the Ministry of Defense would exceed 1 trillion won.
[Ki Dong-min / Democratic Party member: Former spokesperson Kim Eun-hye announced that the transition committee costs about 120 billion won for the transfer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
(But) our party estimates that at least 1.2 trillion won goes in.]
Candidate Lee Jong-seop countered that the transfer would be possible for 300 billion won, even if it was a lot.
[Lee Jong-seop / Candidate for Defense Minister: The cost of moving departments is not really high.
In my opinion, it is possible with 300 billion won.]
There is no problem in the military readiness posture as a result of concerns about a security vacuum.
[Lee Jong-seop / Candidate for Minister of Defense: It has been confirmed that there is no problem with the military readiness posture now.]
Regarding the promise of the president-elect to raise the monthly salary of soldiers up to 2 million won, he took a step back, saying that it would be difficult to implement immediately, citing financial conditions.
[Lee Jong-seop / Candidate for Defense Minister: I would appreciate your understanding for not being able to do so gradually (I am going to implement it) due to practical problems due to poor financial conditions.] While
advising at the National Defense Science Research Institute, an affiliate of the Ministry of National Defense, I am in the presidential campaign. He actively explained that it was necessary advice on the controversy over the violation of political neutrality, but said he would look back on the practice of a former military general being appointed as an advisory member as a kind of public courtesy.
(Video coverage: Kim Heung-gi, video editing: Yumira)