The People Power Party went on the offensive against Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, saying a welfare organization where his spouse works hired the couple's two children, who received hundreds of millions of won in pay. The party also raised suspicions that a facility for people with developmental disabilities run by the organization has been operating without a license.
Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party said at a news conference at the National Assembly on the 6th that the Korea Child Development Social Cooperative, headed by Kim's spouse, took in 878.77 million won in government voucher revenue over the past four years. Of that, 38%, or 331.43 million won, was paid out in wages to the spouse and the couple's two children, he said.
According to Joo, the cooperative moved its office from Yongin to Suwon, Kim's constituency, in January 2022, shortly after Kim was elected to the National Assembly. About two months later, it was designated a provider of activity services for people with developmental disabilities in Suwon. Government voucher revenue, which had been zero before the designation, rose every year afterward, reaching 290.75 million won in 2025. Joo said such an outcome would have been "impossible without the backing of a lawmaker."
Questions were also raised about the hiring process. Joo criticized a case in which Kim's spouse and eldest son interviewed and hired the couple's second daughter, saying the entire family had landed jobs "on a lawmaker's connections." He also noted that the son's position in the public job posting was listed as "human resources manager," raising questions about his qualifications.
Rep. Kim Min-jeon of the same party took issue with the cooperative using the word "school" and running all-day classes for students with developmental disabilities without formal accreditation or registration. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, only schools with formal accreditation or alternative education institutions registered with an education office may operate that way. Rep. Kim Tae-gyu also alleged that the cooperative split payments into wage income and business income to cut its four major insurance contributions through irregular means, and said he plans to call for an investigation into the practice.
In response, Kim's side said the children "majored in fields such as occupational therapy and health education at university and worked part-time during a period of frequent staff turnover." The nominee's confirmation hearing preparation team also issued a statement rebutting the allegations, saying the voucher revenue "was not a subsidy handed over for nothing" and that family members "have handled real work, including preparing meals, driving vehicles, providing occupational therapy and care, and running after-school classes."
