SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) -Ruling-dominant National Assembly committees adopted confirmation hearing reports for Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul on Thursday over opposition objections, escalating a personnel dispute on the eve of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s press conference.
The Legislation and Judiciary Committee adopted Kim’s report two days after his confirmation hearing. Lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) walked out 12 minutes after the meeting began, arguing that allegations surrounding Kim had not been resolved.
The National Defense Committee later adopted Kang’s report, also without the participation of PPP lawmakers.
Unlike a prime minister, Cabinet ministers in South Korea do not require parliamentary consent to take office.
Confirmation hearings and committee reports give lawmakers a formal opportunity to scrutinize nominees, but the final decision on their appointment rests with the president.
Kim, a two-term DP lawmaker and former judge, has been at the center of the latest Cabinet controversy over allegations that he improperly intervened in the regulatory review of an experimental COVID-19 treatment in 2021.
Kim contacted the head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety after receiving a request from a broker to speed up the review of a clinical trial plan submitted by pharmaceutical company Genencell. The plan was approved about two weeks later.
Prosecutors investigated allegations that Kim had been promised up to 5 million won ($3,600) in political donations in return, although the money was never delivered. They issued a deferred-prosecution disposition in December 2024, and Kim has challenged the decision before the Constitutional Court. The case has since drawn renewed scrutiny, with police reopening an investigation into the allegations.
Kim has consistently denied improper lobbying, saying he merely relayed a legitimate public-interest petition and did not demand approval of the drug or preferential treatment.
During Monday’s hearing, he said he came from a liberal-arts background and lacked the expertise to assess the treatment’s scientific performance or allegations involving manipulated animal-test data. He later said the remark was not intended to evade responsibility.
“None of the allegations and issues raised during Kim Seung-won’s confirmation process have been resolved,” five-term PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun told AJP.
“Kim says he did not know because he comes from a liberal-arts background, but that is no excuse,” Yoon said.
“Based on the facts already known, I believe he is unfit to serve as justice minister and oppose his appointment,” he added. “I urged President Lee to withdraw the nomination as soon as possible.”
The DP maintains that Kim adequately addressed the allegations during the hearing.
Public opinion has added to the political pressure. A Korea Society Opinion Institute survey released Wednesday found 52.1 percent opposed Kim’s appointment, compared with 25.1 percent who supported it.
The automated phone survey of 1,001 adults nationwide was conducted Sept. 14 and 15 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Kim was also fined 700,000 won for drunk driving in 2008, a record for which he has apologized.
Kang faced a less politically explosive but still contentious confirmation hearing Wednesday, with opposition lawmakers questioning him over his family’s receipt of special housing allocations for displaced residents and his son’s purchase of commercial property worth about 700 million won, which was omitted from Kang’s initial asset disclosure.
Kang apologized for failing to properly check the disclosure but said there had been no illegal conduct.
DP lawmakers defended the retired four-star general, citing his experience as deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and his support for government priorities including the transfer of wartime operational control and integration of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies.
PPP lawmakers said questions surrounding his son’s property purchase and the family’s housing allocations remained unresolved and criticized the hearing for proceeding without witnesses.
The personnel fight now moves directly into Lee’s press conference Friday.
Lee is scheduled to meet reporters at 10 a.m. at Cheong Wa Dae’s Yeongbingwan, or state guest house, in Seoul for his seventh press conference since taking office in June 2025.
The roughly 90-minute event comes as the president faces disputes over his Cabinet choices, constitutional revision and the presidential term system, a possible South Korean contribution to security operations in the Strait of Hormuz and persistent concerns over housing policy. About 150 domestic and foreign journalists are expected to attend.
A Realmeter survey of 2,515 adults conducted from Sept. 7 through 11 put Lee’s job approval rating at 33.8 percent, down 3.6 percentage points from the previous week and the lowest since he took office. His disapproval rating rose 3.8 percentage points to 63.3 percent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Cheong Wa Dae has said Lee intends to use the press conference to clearly explain his positions on major national issues and communicate directly with the public.
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