The Democratic Party of Korea has effectively rejected all witnesses sought by the People Power Party for the confirmation hearing of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, setting off a head-on clash between the two sides. The People Power Party called it a "hollow hearing," while the Democratic Party countered with allegations that independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon leaked prosecution investigation records. With six days left before the hearing, the dispute is escalating.
The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a plenary session on the 9th and voted to hold Kim's confirmation hearing on the 15th. The committee failed to finalize the list of witnesses and references requested by both sides, agreeing instead to continue negotiations between the parties' floor managers. The managers said they would negotiate until midnight, but a deal appeared unlikely given the wide gap over the requested list.
At issue is whether to accept the 48 witnesses sought by the People Power Party. The party argued that a broker surnamed Yang, a former Genencell chief executive surnamed Kang, then-Food and Drug Safety Ministry Commissioner Kim Kang-lip and Han should be summoned over allegations of influence-peddling in the clinical trial approval of Genencell's COVID-19 treatment. The Democratic Party countered that the matter has already been investigated and needs no further review.
Rep. Park Hyung-soo of the People Power Party said the ruling party was "trying to create a hollow hearing with no witnesses at all," asking, "Can you disregard the public like this?" Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the same party insisted Han and others must be called, describing the hearing as "a steamed bun with no filling." Rep. Kwak Kyu-taek of the People Power Party said, "Is a confirmation hearing with not a single witness the new trend of the Lee Jae-myung administration's hearings?"
The Democratic Party responded that the opposition's witness demands were themselves an attempt to bolster Han's allegations. Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom, the Democratic Party's floor manager on the committee, said most names on the People Power Party's list were people connected to the Genencell case, arguing the opposition was "bringing back a failed case to repeat it endlessly." Rep. Kim Ki-pyo of the Democratic Party said the list was "nothing more than an attempt to back up Han's agitation."
The Democratic Party in particular went on the offensive over how internal prosecution records disclosed by Han were obtained. Rep. Kim Dong-ah of the Democratic Party, who filed a complaint with the National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation against Han and an unidentified source of the documents, asked whether the People Power Party was "Han's errand boy." Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom of the same party also stressed the need to determine how the records were acquired and passed along.
The leak controversy spilled over into the day's parliamentary questioning of the government. Rep. Lee Hae-sik of the Democratic Party said the indictment plan report and investigation records released by Han were confidential investigative materials, urging the government to trace the leak and punish those responsible. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook called it "a very grave matter if confidential investigative records were leaked outside and used without due process," and said she would instruct relevant agencies to determine how the leak occurred and whether laws were broken.
The Justice Ministry also suggested the external leak of the records could amount to a crime. Acting Justice Minister Lee Jin-soo, asked by Rep. Jeon Yong-gi of the Democratic Party how Han obtained the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office indictment plan document, said, "The document appears to be an internal report on the handling of the case," adding that "providing investigative records constitutes a crime, either disclosure of official secrets or a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act." He also said the possibility that the former investigation team leaked the material could not be ruled out.
On Jeon's call for an internal audit and investigation, however, Lee offered only a general response, saying the matter "must be brought fully to light through an investigation" and that he would look into what could be verified. Han pushed back, saying he had "never received any cooperation or materials from the prosecution" and that questioning the source of the documents was "an attempt to muddy the waters and attack a whistleblower."
The People Power Party countered by pressing its scrutiny of allegations surrounding Kim personally. In the parliamentary questioning, Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party raised stock manipulation allegations involving Genencell and KH Feelux as well as phone calls said to involve influence-peddling, questioning why Kim was nominated and whether the cases should be reinvestigated. Prime Minister Han said of the selection process, "After consulting with the presidential office's personnel line, we judged that he has the ability to serve as minister," adding, "Please examine the specific allegations at the hearing."
With the witness negotiations and the leak dispute unfolding together, some observers say the clash over Han's disclosure of investigative records and responsibility for the leak could overshadow scrutiny of the allegations against Kim at the hearing on the 15th.
