NIS chief nominee to get Assembly nod
Suh Hoon, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) director designate, is likely to get the nod from the National Assembly for the nomination.
His appointment will be welcome news for the Moon Jae-in administration, which has seen other nominees, including Prime Minister nominee Lee Nak-yon, being rejected by opposition parties for their alleged past wrongdoing.
The spy agency chief’s appointment does not require parliamentary approval, but is subject to the Assembly’s hearing. As Moon pledged cooperation with opposition parties, he would face huge political backlash if he pushed ahead with his appointment despite those parties’ opposition.
In the confirmation hearing for Suh from Monday to Tuesday, opposition parties asked questions on some ethical issues but it was done in a moderate tone as he was not involved in the five corrupt activities which the President promised to consider when appointing ranking officials — tax evasion, military service evasion, real estate speculation, false residence registration and academic plagiarism.
The opposition parties, however, did not consent to Suh’s nomination immediately after the hearing, asking him to submit additional documents about his wealth.
According to documents he submitted earlier, he and his wife’s wealth grew by 666 million won in the year 2007 alone. Suh said about 450 million won of it came from the increase of the value of the funds they were holding, and the rest came from the rise in value of their real estate.
“We need to have a detailed look into how the wealth increased,” Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said. “We’ll discuss whether to consent to the nomination as soon as we receive the necessary documents.”
The parties also took issue with Suh receiving an excessive consultancy fee from KT Skylife, 10 million won per month for nine months in 2012. Suh said it was not against the law and was a fair fee considering he played a role in getting the satellite TV company prepared to enter the North Korean market. But he added that he now thinks about what a public official’s role and ethics should be, after learning about the financial struggles of the company’s irregular workers.
During the hearing, Suh said he would make sure the NIS will be politically neutral and will stay out of domestic politics. The spy agency has long been suspected of meddling in local politics in favor of the ruling bloc.