A confirmation hearing for education minister nominee Choi Kyo-jin began at the National Assembly on Tuesday, where the rival political parties clashed over his expertise and morality as an educator, as well as his biased ideology.

The ruling Democratic Party(DP) said the nominee is the right person for the job, referring to his teaching background and three-term service as the superintendent of education in the central administrative city of Sejong.

The main opposition People Power Party(PPP), on the other hand, took issue with the nominee's activities in the liberal Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, as well as past social media postings that sparked controversy over ideological bias.

The nominee, who was caught drunk driving in 2003 and later slapped a fine of two million won, or around one-thousand-400 U.S. dollars, apologized for the offense, calling it the biggest regret in his life.

The PPP, however, called for a withdrawal of Choi's nomination and voluntary resignation.