The confirmation hearing for Kim Seong-soo, nominee for Supreme Court Justice, is scheduled for September 14.
The National Assembly's Special Committee on the Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices made this decision during a full meeting on September 8.
The committee also decided to hold a full meeting on September 16 to adopt the report on the review of Kim's confirmation.
Kim Do-eup, a four-term lawmaker from the People Power Party, was elected as the committee chair, while the opposition and ruling party appointed Joo Cheol-hyun from the Democratic Party and Kim Hyung-dong from the People Power Party as committee secretaries.
However, the parties have yet to reach an agreement on calling witnesses for Kim's hearing, and further discussions between the secretaries will continue.
The opposition has argued that witnesses, including Kim's brother-in-law, should be called regarding allegations of a low-cost lease for a Gangnam apartment through a 'brother-in-law advantage.' In contrast, the ruling party contends that calling witnesses is unnecessary.
Previously, lawmaker Joo Jin-woo from the People Power Party raised concerns that Kim is living in a Gangnam apartment valued at approximately 1.95 billion won, paying a deposit of 350 million won through a 'jeonse' arrangement with his brother-in-law, suggesting potential tax evasion.
During a procedural statement, Joo said, "There are discrepancies between Kim and his brother-in-law's accounts, and in such cases, it is essential to call the brother-in-law as a witness to clarify the facts. How can Kim serve as a Supreme Court Justice without resolving his tax evasion allegations?"
In response, Joo Cheol-hyun, the ruling party's secretary, stated, "We can verify everything by directly questioning the nominee and reviewing any additional contracts or financial transaction records submitted. It has been confirmed that there has been no instance of witnesses being called in Supreme Court Justice confirmation hearings over the past 14 years since the 19th National Assembly in 2012."
Chairman Kim stated, "According to the agreement between the ruling and opposition secretaries, a request for witness attendance must be delivered at least five days before the hearing. I ask that the secretaries reach a conclusion through their discussions. If an agreement on witness selection is reached, we will hold another meeting to make a decision."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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