Kim Yongtae: "Kim Minseok's Issues Cannot Be Covered Up with Simple Explanations"
Song Unseok Points Out Suspicion over Kim Minseok's Tsinghua University Master's Degree
On Joo Jinwoo Asset Controversy: "A Despicable Attack on the Messenger"
Kim Yongtae, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, emphasized on the 19th, "The Lee Jae Myung administration itself can only be called an 'appointment disaster' administration," adding, "In particular, the suspicions surrounding Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok are not matters that can be swept aside with simple explanations."
Kim Yongtae, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the "Corruption Department Store Lee Jae Myung Government Personnel Hearing Countermeasure Meeting" held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News
At the "Corruption Department Store Lee Jae Myung Government Personnel Hearing Countermeasure Meeting" held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the same day, Chairman Kim pointed out, "While the president himself is facing five trials, the prime minister nominee is not only embroiled in suspicions of illegal political funds, property accumulation, and questionable debt transactions, but is also tainted by 'parental privilege.' Furthermore, the nominee for the National Intelligence Service director has repeatedly violated traffic laws for nearly 20 years and, even on the eve of the personnel hearing, shamelessly failed to submit real estate tax documents."
He continued, "The Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, who assists the president, resigned just three days after appointment due to suspicions of borrowed-name loans. The Chair of the National Policy Planning Committee and the Director of the National Security Office are also implicated in real estate speculation allegations," criticizing, "The current personnel situation under the Lee Jae Myung administration is truly a corruption department store."
Targeting nominee Kim, he said, "Five years ago, Kim's assets were minus 580 million won, yet during that period, he paid 616 million won in fines for violating the Political Funds Act, donated 200 million won to his church, spent 230 million won on living expenses, and still reported an increase in assets to 150 million won this year," adding, "This is simply impossible on a lawmaker's salary alone."
Chairman Kim also stated, "The suspicions regarding his children are no different. An idea from his son's high school club was introduced as a bill in the National Assembly, and an organization his son founded as a university student even held a National Assembly seminar under the name of Kim's parliamentary office," adding, "His son reportedly attends a university with annual tuition of 90 million won, yet there has been no clear explanation of how all these expenses were covered."
He further argued, "The bigger problem is that nominee Kim is at the forefront of all these developments," and criticized, "Yet President Lee Jae Myung claims these issues can be explained at the hearing. While the public wants answers now, the president is using the hearing as a shield to buy time."
He concluded, "Now, what remains is the president's decision," urging, "If such a nominee is pushed through, the morality and responsibility of the entire administration will collapse over this one prime ministerial appointment. Withdraw the nomination before it is too late."
Kim Yongtae, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party (right), and Song Unseok, Floor Leader, are attending the "Corruption Department Store Lee Jae Myung Government Personnel Hearing Countermeasure Meeting" held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News
Song Unseok, Floor Leader, criticized the suspicions surrounding nominee Kim's master's degree program at Tsinghua University in China.
He said, "Kim claimed that he was able to graduate from Tsinghua University while serving as a top member of the Democratic Party, attending morning meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and then flying to school. This explanation is completely out of touch with common sense," he argued.
Floor Leader Song stated, "Kim claimed that the top committee meetings were held at 7 a.m., but records show that the meetings were scheduled for 9 or 9:30 a.m. The claim of 7 a.m. meetings has been revealed as an absurd lie," and urged, "I call for the immediate public disclosure of Kim's immigration records at that time."
Floor Leader Song also expressed strong concern about the recent suspicions regarding the assets of People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jinwoo, which were raised by the ruling bloc.
He said, "There is absolutely no problem with Representative Joo's assets, and moreover, Representative Joo is a member of the special personnel hearing committee for the prime minister nominee," adding, "Representative Joo is not the prime minister nominee. This kind of underhanded attack on the messenger does nothing to build public trust in nominee Kim."
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