Yong Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, resigned on the 13th, leaving five other ministerial nominees under scrutiny. The National Assembly will hold confirmation hearings this week for nominees from five ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Justice.
The hearings for Lee Hyung-il (Ministry of Finance), Kim Seung-won (Ministry of Justice), and Lee So-young (Ministry of SMEs and Startups) will take place on the 15th, while those for Kang Shin-cheol (Ministry of National Defense) and Hong Ji-sun (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) are scheduled for the 16th. During this confirmation process, both ruling and opposition parties are expected to focus their efforts on attacking or defending Kim Seung-won.
Within the Democratic Party, there is a sense of urgency to protect Kim, who was appointed symbolically to complete judicial reform. Members of the party's Legislative and Judiciary Committee held a press conference on the same day, targeting independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is at the center of the controversy surrounding Kim. They alleged that during Han's tenure as Minister of Justice, the prosecution initiated an investigation into Kim to implicate President Lee Jae-myung.
Chairwoman Seo Young-kyo stated, "Immediately after the prosecution began investigating Kim, they prepared a report detailing connections between the president and individuals involved in the Daejang-dong incident," emphasizing that the report was created during a time when the prosecution was allegedly suppressing the president.
Kim Eui-gyeom, the ruling party's Legislative and Judiciary Committee member, described the situation as a clear case of targeted investigation, stating that Han actively intervened by changing the investigation leader to someone from the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction' to find a link between the president and Kim.
In response, Han countered, "The Democratic Party has nothing to argue about regarding the investigation, so they revert to the narrative of targeted investigation. Who would target someone like Kim Seung-won, who was unknown at the time?" He also left open the possibility of holding an independent confirmation hearing outside the National Assembly in response to questions from reporters.
Political analysts suggest that the growing public opposition to Kim's appointment, as reflected in various opinion polls, could pose a challenge for the ruling party. The People Power Party and other opposition groups are leveraging this sentiment to intensify their allegations against Kim.
On the same day, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised additional allegations regarding a social cooperative related to Kim's family, claiming it received preferential treatment in the selection process for service providers in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where Kim's constituency is located. Joo pointed out that the cooperative, which had only been in Suwon for three months, was awarded five points in the re-designation process, while a competing organization that had secured two substitute workers received zero points.
He further criticized the process, stating, "The cooperative only mentioned 'replacement upon vacancy' but received full points, while unfair zero points were given to competitors to eliminate them. Investigations into these allegations should be expanded."
Additionally, the confirmation hearings for Kang Shin-cheol, Lee Hyung-il, Lee So-young, and Hong Ji-sun are expected to focus heavily on real estate-related allegations. The opposition is set to argue that the nominees have employed loopholes that contradict the housing policies emphasized by the Lee Jae-myung administration.
The hearings for Lee Hyung-il (Ministry of Finance), Kim Seung-won (Ministry of Justice), and Lee So-young (Ministry of SMEs and Startups) will take place on the 15th, while those for Kang Shin-cheol (Ministry of National Defense) and Hong Ji-sun (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) are scheduled for the 16th. During this confirmation process, both ruling and opposition parties are expected to focus their efforts on attacking or defending Kim Seung-won.
Within the Democratic Party, there is a sense of urgency to protect Kim, who was appointed symbolically to complete judicial reform. Members of the party's Legislative and Judiciary Committee held a press conference on the same day, targeting independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who is at the center of the controversy surrounding Kim. They alleged that during Han's tenure as Minister of Justice, the prosecution initiated an investigation into Kim to implicate President Lee Jae-myung.
Chairwoman Seo Young-kyo stated, "Immediately after the prosecution began investigating Kim, they prepared a report detailing connections between the president and individuals involved in the Daejang-dong incident," emphasizing that the report was created during a time when the prosecution was allegedly suppressing the president.
Kim Eui-gyeom, the ruling party's Legislative and Judiciary Committee member, described the situation as a clear case of targeted investigation, stating that Han actively intervened by changing the investigation leader to someone from the 'Yoon Seok-yeol faction' to find a link between the president and Kim.
In response, Han countered, "The Democratic Party has nothing to argue about regarding the investigation, so they revert to the narrative of targeted investigation. Who would target someone like Kim Seung-won, who was unknown at the time?" He also left open the possibility of holding an independent confirmation hearing outside the National Assembly in response to questions from reporters.
Political analysts suggest that the growing public opposition to Kim's appointment, as reflected in various opinion polls, could pose a challenge for the ruling party. The People Power Party and other opposition groups are leveraging this sentiment to intensify their allegations against Kim.
On the same day, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised additional allegations regarding a social cooperative related to Kim's family, claiming it received preferential treatment in the selection process for service providers in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where Kim's constituency is located. Joo pointed out that the cooperative, which had only been in Suwon for three months, was awarded five points in the re-designation process, while a competing organization that had secured two substitute workers received zero points.
He further criticized the process, stating, "The cooperative only mentioned 'replacement upon vacancy' but received full points, while unfair zero points were given to competitors to eliminate them. Investigations into these allegations should be expanded."
Additionally, the confirmation hearings for Kang Shin-cheol, Lee Hyung-il, Lee So-young, and Hong Ji-sun are expected to focus heavily on real estate-related allegations. The opposition is set to argue that the nominees have employed loopholes that contradict the housing policies emphasized by the Lee Jae-myung administration.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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