Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, strongly denied various allegations against him during his confirmation hearing while also raising concerns about the leak of internal prosecution materials and criticizing the prosecution's investigations under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
On September 15, during the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Kim responded to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Dong-ah regarding the circumstances of the leak of internal prosecution materials, stating, "It is essential to clarify how confidential internal documents of the prosecution ended up with former Minister Han Dong-hoon (currently an independent lawmaker)."
Earlier, Kim raised concerns about the leak of internal prosecution reports that even the parties involved or their lawyers could not access, referencing documents previously disclosed by Han. He suggested that there might be a need for a comprehensive investigation into the potential leak of other significant political case materials.
In response, Kim stated, "In my 30 years of legal experience, including time as a judge, I have never seen such types of documents," emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation into the leak.
He added, "Even I, as someone who was subject to investigation and received a deferred prosecution decision, was not provided with the investigation records when I requested them from the prosecution. I cannot understand how such sensitive investigation records were leaked, and if I become Minister of Justice, I will ensure a thorough review of the information management status within the prosecution's server and any potential human rights violations against the public."
Kim also criticized the prosecution's investigations during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, labeling them as "selective and politically motivated." He expressed his frustration, stating, "Over two years, 11 prosecutors were mobilized, and they obtained call logs and account information more than 20 times. It would be accurate to say they thoroughly investigated me."
He further condemned the prosecution for ignoring evidence of lobbying involving ruling party lawmakers found in the call logs of a broker who had contacted him, while targeting him and opposition figures instead.
Regarding the deferred prosecution decision related to the charge of promising bribes, he claimed it was a result of "splitting charges," arguing that the prosecution was keeping him in a state of deferred prosecution by dividing related individuals into separate cases.
Kim stated, "The splitting of charges, as seen in the Daejang-dong case or the North Korean remittance case, is a tactic used by the political prosecution under Han Dong-hoon that effectively destroys the accused. If I am appointed as Minister of Justice, I will ensure that investigative powers are exercised fairly and that political neutrality is maintained."
He became emotional while addressing allegations of favoritism related to a social cooperative for the care of individuals with developmental disabilities, where his spouse and children work. Kim asserted, "This was never for profit or personal gain, and there was absolutely no favoritism."
He explained, "My wife, who graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in special education, has devoted her life to caring for children with disabilities. I entrusted the work to my son, who is currently in a master's program, so that when the parents of these children pass away or if my wife becomes unable to care for them, they would have someone trustworthy to rely on."
In contrast, the opposition People Power Party focused on attacking Kim's moral integrity and refusal to submit documents. Lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek criticized Kim for refusing to submit a court ruling related to a 2008 drunk driving fine (70,000 won), citing personal information concerns, questioning how someone who won't provide their own documents could serve as Minister of Justice. In response, Kim stated, "I will review whether there are any outstanding documents that have not been submitted."
The confirmation hearing faced disruptions even before the questioning began, with heated exchanges between lawmakers from both parties. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-hee demanded an apology from People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo for derogatory remarks such as "bloodsucker of taxpayer money" and "family salary party." Joo refused, stating, "I was pointing out the structural injustice where 40% of the benefits went to the nominee's family."
During this exchange, harsh language such as "devil" and "the one who steals money is the devil" was exchanged, leading to chaos in the hearing, with Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo struggling to restore order.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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