A parliamentary standing committee approved a plan to hold confirmation hearings next week for unification minister nominee Chung Dong-young and foreign minister nominee Cho Hyun.
 
The Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee passed the motion during Monday' plenary meeting for Chung's hearing set to begin at 10 a.m. on July 14, and Cho's hearing immediately after a state ceremony marking Constitution Day on July 17.

The rival political parties agreed to continue consultations on the lists of witnesses as they have yet to narrow differences.

Chung, a five-term representative from the ruling Democratic Party(DP), previously served as unification minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, during which he visited Pyongyang as a special presidential envoy for talks with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Cho is a former career diplomat who spent decades handling issues pertaining to multilateral and trade diplomacy, serving as both the first and second vice foreign minister and the head of the permanent mission to the United Nations.