Kang Byung-kyu Apologized Five Times in One Hour

* Hearing of ministerial candidate for security and public administration

* Ruling and opposition lawmakers criticized violations of Resident Registration Act, and failed to adopt hearing report.

Kang Byung-kyu (60, photo), the candidate for the minister of security and public administration said at a parliamentary hearing on March 24, "I was very wrong to register a false residence, and I am very sorry."

Kang Byung-kyu

At the hearing this day, the Security and Public Administration Committee at the National Assembly focused their questions on Kang's registration of false addresses. After all, the candidate for the top position of a ministry which is responsible for resident registration had violated positive law by registering a false address. Ruling party lawmakers also joined in the criticism.

Saenuri lawmaker Hwang Young-cheul pointed out, "What is important is that you violated the Resident Registration Act, and that the minister of security and public administration is responsible for enforcing that law."

Democratic lawmaker Lee Hae-chan said, "If Cheong Wa Dae was aware of this when they nominated Kang, they will be creating a standard that will not find fault with registration of false residences when appointing ministers," and added, "Kang should voluntarily resign from being the ministerial candidate."

After the hearing began, Kang repeated "I am sorry," five times in the course of an hour. He said, "It was my fault, and I am extremely sorry," yet he explained, "It [the false registration] was not just because of the advantages of a better school district. We changed the address due to temporary issues concerning our children's route to and from school and for treatment purposes."

As for the farmland worth hundreds of millions of won illegally possessed by his wife, Kang acknowledged the allegations saying, "In the process of inheriting my father-in-law's land, there were some violations of the law."

Kang denied the allegations that he established the Korea Institute of Local Finance in order to secure a position after retiring as the vice minister of security and public administration. He said, "The local governments first suggested it [the establishment of the institute], and I became the president through a fair process."

The ruling party argued to adopt the hearing report claiming that Kang was a competent expert in public administration qualified for the job, but they failed to pass the report for the opposition lawmakers opposed claiming that he was not qualified to be the head of a ministry in charge of enforcing the Resident Registration Act.