South Korea withdraws budget minister nominee after allegations

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by ReutersJanuary 25, 2026 at 01:29 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung withdrew his nomination of Lee Hye-hoon to lead the new budget ministry after allegations of unlawful real estate investments and mistreatment of staff surfaced. Lee Hye-hoon, a former lawmaker from the People Power Party, was initially nominated in an effort to promote national unity through cross-party appointments. During her confirmation hearing, Lee defended her family's investments but apologized for her past treatment of staff. The presidential secretary stated that Lee Hye-hoon had not met public expectations. Currently, the budget ministry's acting vice-minister, Lim Ki-Keun, will lead policy meetings.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Lim Ki-Keun 40% Woo Sang-ho 50% People Power Party 60% Yoon Suk-yeol 70% Lee Jae Myung 70% South Korea 80% Lee Hye-hoon ×490%

Keywords

budget minister nominee 90% south korea 80% lee hye-hoon 70% withdrawal 70% allegations 60% political appointment 50% mistreating staff 50% real estate investments 50% people power party 40% yoon suk-yeol 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

South Korea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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budget minister nominee south korea lee hye-hoon withdrawal allegations political appointment mistreating staff real estate investments people power party yoon suk-yeol

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