0215-Qualification of nominees

Pick right people first before blaming screening system

At this rate, President-elect Park Geun-hye will likely be unable to form her Cabinet until she takes office on Feb. 25.

Frustrated with failures to pass parliamentary and media screenings by the people she nominated, directly or indirectly, Park complained about the confirmation hearing process. “Our system focuses on nominees’ personal problems instead of discussing their abilities and qualifications,” Park said. “Let’s consider revising rules to model the U.S. system.”

We agree, but are afraid few, if any, nominees will be able to even sit in the candidate’s chair at the National Assembly if Korea introduces the U.S. process.

The three-phase U.S. system requires nominees to pass strict ethical screening by the White House, FBI and IRS, and they must have a good reputation among people surrounding them before standing before the relevant Senate committees and undergoing a Congressional hearing. Even the hiring of an illegal alien for a housemaid several years ago can be checked in this process, which usually takes months.

It is such a thorough and lengthy preliminary screening and various backup systems that enables Americans to conduct the first two stages in a closed session. In Korea where the entire process ends in 20 days amid loose verification, the closed-door screenings are like no screenings at all.

Park herself has shown the superficiality of the Korean confirmation hearing system in almost all nominations she has made since her election, starting from her chief spokesman to her first prime-minister candidate. Most egregious of them all was Lee Dong-heub, nominated by President Lee Myung-bak and endorsed by Park as head of the Constitutional Court, who lied at the hearing but was not disciplined for it. President Lee could even push ahead with his appointment in the worst-case scenario, as the Assembly’s vetoes have no binding force.

The confirmation hearing system needs to be strengthened, not weakened as Park seems to want, in view of the extremely loose ethical standards in this country where asset-swelling through irregular means, academic plagiarism, and avoidance of taxes and military duty are not the exceptions but the norms among the establishment in the name of “established” practices. As are the leaders, so are the people; Koreans admit their country is the “Republic of Corruption.”

The President-elect asks how she could recruit government workers if people apply such strict ethical standards. There will always be officials with ability and integrity if, and that’s a very big if, Park tries to find talent regardless of where they come from and what ideological views they have.

What’s restricting the already narrow pool of candidates is her regional and ideological bias. Add to this the “Park Geun-hye style” _ the President-elect’s needlessly secretive and reclusive way of handling matters, ranging from personnel appointments to administrative decisions, then Koreans will likely have their most uncommunicative _ and undemocratic _ leader in decades. Even Park’s closest aides complain they are afraid of recommending talent for fear of infringing on her exclusive domain.

There is no need for haste. People would prefer major posts to remain vacant than being occupied by unethical, incompetent officials.