Rival political parties clashed over the growth of minister nominee Park Sung-jae's assets, which increased by about two-point-three billion won, or around one-point-seven million U.S. dollars, in the six-and-a-half years he spent working as a lawyer following his retirement from working as a prosecutor.

At Park's parliamentary confirmation hearing on Thursday, ruling People Power Party(PPP) Rep. Park Hyeung-soo said the nominee's income should not be considered excessive when taking into account his experience, including his time spent as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

The nominee has also been criticized for failing to pay the gift tax when registering both himself and his wife, who at the time had no income, as co-owners when purchasing an apartment unit in 2018.

The PPP lawmaker said the purchase was based on a lump-sum jeonse rental deposit, which increased with assistance from the wife's family. He also called for those present to consider the financial value of the wife's labor as a homemaker.

Main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Kim Young-bae, on the other hand, accused the nominee of benefiting from privileges from his former post, to which the nominee denied ever exercising undue influence in accepting or handling cases.