The confrontation between rival parties over Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won is intensifying. As independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo raised successive allegations over drug-approval lobbying and the operation of a family-run cooperative, the Democratic Party has mounted an all-out defense, filing a criminal complaint while challenging the basis of the allegations and how investigative records were obtained. With Kim's confirmation hearing approaching, the two sides continue to trade blows over the allegations and the investigative files.
Han on the 6th released a recording of a phone call between Kim and an official surnamed Yang from a new drug development company, renewing allegations of improper solicitation, according to political sources on the 7th. In the recording, Kim told Yang, "I'll speak to them once and tell them to look into it directly," and "The food safety commissioner will know, so I'll ask the commissioner to report on it directly." In a later call, Kim said he had passed the matter on to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and had arranged to be briefed after it was checked.
Han also released text messages indicating that Kim Kang-lip, then head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, relayed the matter to a division director in charge. Citing the fact that Kim delivered the request directly to the ministry chief and even checked on how the responsible division was handling it, Han argued this went beyond simply passing along a constituent request and amounted to active solicitation. Han also released a video of the Democratic Party leadership at the time offering encouragement to the drug developer, escalating his attack by saying, "The Democratic Party is going all out because this is not a problem confined to nominee Kim alone."
Joo took aim at the Korea Child Development Social Cooperative, where Kim's family members worked. According to Joo, the organization, headed by Kim's spouse, relocated to Suwon — Kim's constituency — in January 2022 after Kim won his National Assembly seat, and was designated about two months later as a provider of activity support services for people with developmental disabilities. Over the following four years it took in 878.77 million won in government voucher revenue, and 331.43 million won was paid out in salaries to Kim's spouse and two children, Joo said.
Joo also questioned the family hiring process, alleging preferential treatment. He pointed in particular to a case in which Kim's spouse and eldest son sat on an interview panel that hired Kim's younger daughter, saying, "The whole family got jobs on the strength of a lawmaker's connections." The People Power Party broadened its attack further, alleging that the organization ran an unauthorized educational facility and that it split payments between employment income and business income to reduce contributions to the four major social insurance programs.
The Democratic Party counterattacked by focusing on how the material was obtained. At a news conference the same day, lawmaker Kim Dong-a said she was filing a complaint with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials against Han and whoever supplied the material, on charges including disclosure of official secrets. "There is a possibility that Han kept material he was briefed on while serving as justice minister, or that he received it from a serving prosecution official," she said. "We ask that investigators determine from whom and through what channel he obtained the material."
Spokesperson Cho Kye-won also said, "A recording of a private phone call can only come from a party to the call or from investigative authorities," and demanded that Han "disclose how he illegally obtained it and apologize." Chief spokesperson Park Sung-joon sharpened the criticism, saying of Han, "Playing politics with material of unknown origin is what a hack does."
The Democratic Party also reaffirmed its position that the allegations themselves cannot be deemed unlawful. Floor spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo said, "Even after prosecutors spent three years and deployed more than 10 people on a fishing expedition, they concluded it was not an unlawful solicitation," and called for an end to "baseless smears and stigmatization." Spokesperson Shin Hyun-young also said, "All nominee Kim did was one phone call with the food safety commissioner and two or three text messages," explaining that it was a public-interest request prompted by concerns about the outflow of national wealth.
Meanwhile, Democratic Party supreme council member Jeon Yong-gi said Kim's failure to appear at his confirmation hearing preparation office, which had sparked claims that he had gone into hiding, was due to an urgent family situation. Jeon said a member of Kim's family had suddenly collapsed from a stroke and was in the hospital, adding, "It is not right to conclude that he has gone into hiding or fled before even confirming the facts." He added, "Let what needs to be vetted be vetted at the hearing, and please refrain from unfounded speculation."
