At the hearing held at the National Assembly on the 15th, Rep. Park Hyung-soo of the PPP, the opposition's chief committee negotiator, criticized the process: "In consultation with the Democratic Party's chief negotiator, we requested 44 witnesses and said that about 10 of them were essential. But as of today, not a single witness has been approved." He added, "The Democratic Party is planning a hollow hearing with no witnesses at all. The nominee is trying to hold a deficient hearing by refusing to submit documents."
Rep. Kim Nam-hee of the Democratic Party then requested a procedural remark and hit back at the PPP, saying, "Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party used hateful expressions about the Korea Child Development Social Cooperative, where the nominee's spouse works — saying it 'stuck a straw into taxpayer money,' 'fattened itself on the public's taxes,' and threw a 'family salary party' — misleading people into thinking it is an illegal organization." PPP lawmakers protested strongly, shouting, "Is that a procedural remark?" Kim also raised her voice, saying, "Can't you see I can't even speak (because of the noise)?" in a heated exchange.
Opposition lawmakers also protested fiercely against Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party, accusing her of "biased proceedings." As the opposition's protests continued, Seo reacted sharply, shouting at PPP Rep. Kim Tae-kyu, "Stop it! When I say stop, stop." Kim shot back just as loudly: "You think you're the only one who can shout?"
PPP Rep. Joo Jin-woo said, "Defend what deserves defending," and charged that "it is devilish for family members to siphon off benefits that should go to children with developmental disabilities." That prompted another round of angry protests from the ruling party and further commotion.
In his opening remarks, Kim said of the various allegations raised against him, "I am sorry for causing concern to the public."
Issues expected to dominate the hearing include allegations that Kim lobbied on behalf of a new drug, controversy over preferential treatment for the social cooperative where his spouse works, and criticism over his defense of a sexual assault perpetrator during his time as a lawyer. Past drunk driving and a false address registration for his minor child have also come to light. The PPP requested 44 witnesses to scrutinize these allegations, but the Democratic Party agreed to none of them.
