The DUP is determined to kill the nomination of Lee Dong-heub, a former Constitutional Court judge who was handpicked by President Lee Myung-bak.

Citing the nominee's previous rulings, opposition lawmakers have called his political and ideological views into question.

The DUP says Lee was the only justice on the Constitutional Court who ruled against launching an independent investigation into an investment fraud scandal involving then President-elect Lee Myung-bak.

The party is also criticizing the nominee for his rulings on sensitive cases involving Japan's colonial rule of Korea.

In one case, Lee ruled that it was unconstitutional for the Korean government to recover the assets of pro-Japanese collaborators. Lee's opponents have also questioned his ethics.

They accuse him of violating resident registration laws by using a false address in 1995, which opposition lawmakers claim is linked to real estate speculation.

{Park Ki-choon, DUP Floor Leader} "We're receiving such an overwhelming number of reports about Lee's unethical behavior that it is difficult to keep up with them. Lee is facing criticism from both inside and outside of the judicial crmfjsommunity and also from both the progressive and conservative camps."

The ruling Saenuri Party says it will focus on assessing Lee's competence and ethics throughout the two-day confirmation hearing. Concerning the various scandals allegedly involving Lee, the ruling party says it wants to hear what the nominee has to say in response.

{Lee Hahn-koo, Saenuri Party Floor Leader} "We don't want this confirmation hearing to be one where opposition lawmakers simply poke around the nominee and launch attacks. The most important thing is to find out if the nominee is a man of constitutional principles."

{Kim Yeon-ji} A thirteen-member special committee, composed of seven ruling- and six opposition-party lawmakers, will hear the nominee speak Monday and Tuesday.

Because of past rulings Lee has made that have been deemed too conservative, it may be a challenge for him to win appointment as the next head of the Constitutional Court if he fails to clear away the doubts about the allegations during the confirmation process.

Kim Yeon-ji, Arirang News.

Reporter : yjkim@arirang.co.kr