Rep. Kim Hyeong-dong, floor secretary for the People Power Party, asked during the committee’s comprehensive hearing that officials confirm whether Kim went into the chair’s office before 10 a.m., before the hearing began. If the witness met the chair in advance, Kim said, the testimony “could have been tainted.” Fellow People Power Party lawmakers Kwak Gyu-taek and Shin Dong-wook said the matter could be settled by checking CCTV footage.
Seo denied the claim, saying Kim had not entered her office and calling it “nonsense.” Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won said that when he entered Seo’s office at 9:18 a.m., no one was there except Rep. Cha Gyu-geun of the Rebuilding Korea Party. Cha also said he was the first to enter the office and that Park arrived a minute later.
Kim said he was not sure whether the place was the chair’s office, but said he did go somewhere to drink a cup of water from a purifier. “This is the first time I’ve seen Chair Seo here,” he said.
Kim declined to answer most questions, saying he could not speak because he is on trial, but he acknowledged coercive investigative tactics by prosecutors. On the alleged North Korea remittance case, he said he is acquainted with former Gyeonggi Province peace vice governor Lee Hwa-young, but stressed, “I don’t even know that person (President Lee Jae-myung).”
Later, People Power Party Rep. Na Kyung-won pressed Kim, saying that if a future special prosecutor is appointed, the president’s indictment would be dropped and Kim would also be held responsible for illegal gambling. Kim replied, “I’m already on trial on 28 charges, so if there’s more to do, I’ll do it.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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