The confirmation hearing for defense minister nominee Lee Jong-sup of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's incoming government began at the National Assembly on Wednesday afternoon.

At the hearing, the nominee faced questions about the incoming president's campaign pledges to immediately increase soldiers' monthly salaries to 2 million won and deploy an additional U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense(THAAD) missile defense system.

In response to the presidential transition team's new key policy tasks that now include increasing soldiers' monthly salaries to 2 million won in stages by 2025, the nominee explained that the financial situation was not favorable for an immediate hike and vowed to find another way to boost morale.

Regarding Yoon's key policy tasks now excluding an additional THAAD system as previously pledged, the candidate explained that it was changed to reflect a more realistic response, adding that it the incoming administration may replace it with locally developed equipment and that THAAD was just one of several options.