The National Assembly's Judiciary Committee has adopted a plan to conduct a confirmation hearing for Kim Seung-won, the nominee for Minister of Justice, scheduled for the 15th. The ruling and opposition parties are at odds over the selection of witnesses, prompting further discussions among party representatives.
During a full committee meeting on the morning of the 9th, the Judiciary Committee approved the confirmation hearing plan for Kim, who was appointed to the second cabinet of the Lee Jae-myung administration. This allows the committee to proceed with the hearing as planned on the 15th.
However, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in heated exchanges over the list of witnesses to be summoned during the hearing. As disagreements persisted, the selection of witnesses was ultimately postponed.
The Democratic Party reiterated that the allegations involving Kim are related to a case that has already been suspended by the prosecution, asserting that there is no relevance to the confirmation hearing. They countered that the list of witnesses proposed by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon was merely an attempt to incite controversy.
Representative Kim Dong-ah stated, "Since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration decided to suspend prosecution, the matter is effectively closed. The suspension indicates that there is no basis for prosecution." He added that a thorough investigation is needed regarding Han's alleged illegal disclosure of internal prosecution documents.
Representative Kim Gi-pyo also questioned, "What is the reason for reigniting a case that has already been suspended?" He pointed out that the witness list proposed by the People Power Party seems aimed at supporting Han's provocations.
On the other hand, the People Power Party called for the inclusion of brokers Yang Soo-jin and Kang Se-chan, who are related to the 'new drug solicitation allegations' involving Kim. The Democratic Party opposed this, citing the case's prior suspension, leading to the postponement of witness selection.
Representative Kim Tae-kyu argued, "Conducting a hearing without witnesses signals that the Democratic Party has already decided to push Kim's confirmation through. If they are confident, they should clarify everything before the public."
Representative Kwak Gyu-taek characterized the allegations involving Kim as a typical stock manipulation scam disguised as new drug development, insisting that at least the key figures, Yang and Kang, should be called as witnesses.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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