Chung Jom-sig, floor leader of the People Power Party, urged President Lee Jae-myung to halt the appointment of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, saying there was only one reason the president picked him despite what he called fatal flaws. "Despite fatal flaws including drunk driving, lobbying over drugs and a family cooperative, there is only one reason the president nominated the candidate — his record as head of a group calling for the withdrawal of indictments," Chung said.
Speaking at a party leadership meeting he chaired at the National Assembly on the 18th, Chung said, "That shameful record, which drew criticism from the entire nation, must have looked like a thoroughly reliable credential in the president's eyes."
He took particular aim at a social media post by Lee the previous day, in which the president said he would clearly demonstrate that anyone reaping unfair profits from ticket scalping would pay a far greater price. "Is someone trying to bury his own trial in full view of the entire nation now worrying about scalped tickets?" Chung said.
"An unqualified nominee is trying to become justice minister to make the president's trial disappear, after a confirmation hearing with no vetting," Chung said. "The president has trampled on the rule of law solely for his own political safety, while making a cheap show of strength on social media by vowing to track down ticket scalping to the very end." He added, "We will track the president's burial of his trial to the very end, in the name of the people. From the moment the appointment of nominee Kim Seung-won is forced through, angry public sentiment will engulf the president."
Chung also called Kim's confirmation hearing "by far the worst among all past confirmation hearings." He said, "The Democratic Party deliberately turned the hearing room into chaos from the start, spewing abusive language such as 'devil' and 'deadly weapon.'" He sharply criticized what followed: "Then all of a sudden, the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the nominee dabbed at their tears in a third-rate melodrama." He added, "This was not a confirmation hearing but a trashy drama staged according to a prepared script."
