"No Progress in Discussions on Summoning Witnesses"
On June 23, members of the People Power Party on the Special Committee for the Confirmation Hearing of Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok urged the nominee to withdraw, stating, "If Kim is appointed as Prime Minister, he will become the symbol of this administration's 'unfairness' and 'inequality of opportunity,' as well as the starting point of a 'fake' Republic of Korea."
At a press conference held at the National Assembly that day, the People Power Party members of the confirmation hearing committee criticized, "Even based solely on what has already been revealed regarding the suspicions involving Kim's child, there is more than enough reason for the nominee to voluntarily withdraw."
The People Power Party claims that when Kim's son established an organization intending to operate overseas, Kim, who was a National Assembly member and vice president of the parliamentary friendship association with that country, used his parliamentary office to organize a seminar at the National Assembly with the embassy of that country, and Kim's son's organization promoted itself as the host of the seminar.
In addition, they raised questions about the authenticity of Kim's son's activities, including an internship at a university in Hong Kong, from June to December 2023, when he was a third-year high school student, and demanded further clarification.
They especially took issue with the fact that Kim has not been actively cooperating with the confirmation hearing committee, such as by submitting explanatory materials. According to Bae Junyoung, the committee secretary, the People Power Party members of the committee requested a total of 873 documents, but only 201 were properly submitted. Of the 752 responses received, 366 could not be provided due to lack of consent from the individuals involved, and 185 were deemed useless despite being submitted.
Bae stated, "The hearing was scheduled for two days on the premise that sufficient materials would be provided from the outset," adding, "We have again requested the submission of materials through the Democratic Party secretary, and if we cannot reach an agreement, we will consult with the party leadership and keep all options open, including a possible boycott."
Regarding the issue of summoning witnesses, he said, "We requested five witnesses with financial ties to the nominee, excluding family members and the ex-wife, but even that was simply rejected," adding, "There has been no further progress."
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