First Test for Lee Jaemyung Administration: Key Issues in Minseok Kim's Confirmation Hearing

Assets Rose Rapidly from Negative Balance in Five Years
Questions Raised over Master's Degree from Tsinghua University
Controversies over Political Fund Transactions and "Dad Chance" Allegations

The confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Minseok Kim will be held over two days. Key issues to be addressed include suspicions regarding Kim's personal assets and the process of obtaining his master's degree from Tsinghua University in China, both of which were raised during the hearing preparation phase.

Prime Minister nominee Minseok Kim is speaking at the social sector ministry briefing held on the 17th at the hearing preparation office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.6.17 Photo by Yongjun Cho

The National Assembly's Special Committee on the Confirmation Hearing for the Prime Minister nominee will begin its verification of Kim starting on the 24th. As this is the first personnel appointment test under the Lee Jaemyung administration, there is significant political interest in the outcome of the hearing. With the opposition focusing its full efforts on scrutiny, attention is on how Kim will respond to the allegations and how the ruling party will react afterward.

The most contentious issue concerns Kim's income. At the end of 2019, Kim reported assets of negative 577 million won, but by 2025, he reported assets of 215 million won. Furthermore, considering his expenditures during this period?including 620 million won in surcharges, 200 million won in donations, 230 million won in credit card and cash living expenses, 50 million won in rent, and approximately 200 million won for his child's study abroad expenses in the United States?further explanation is needed regarding the increase in his assets.

In response, Kim explained that his ex-wife, from whom he is divorced, covered the study abroad expenses for their child, and that he had income from lecture fees, event fees, and condolence money. While Kim's side and the ruling party estimate that his income increased through events such as publication commemorations, the process of the asset increase remains unclear. In addition, there are controversies regarding omissions in asset reporting and the appropriateness of income from publication commemorations.

There are also suspicions regarding the process by which Kim, then a non-parliamentary Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, obtained his master's degree from Tsinghua University in China between 2009 and 2010. Kim previously explained that he attended morning meetings and traveled back and forth to China for classes, and he disclosed his immigration records. According to a disclosure by Representative Kim Heejung of the People Power Party on social networking services (SNS), Kim stayed in China for a total of 26 days between 2009 and 2010. Regarding this, Representative Kim pointed out that Kim must provide transparent explanations for the entire process, including how the degree was obtained, whether he attended local classes, his attendance record, and his thesis writing. In addition, there are suggestions?based on the schedule Kim provided?that he may have missed Supreme Council meetings during this period.

There are also suspicions of illegal political fund transactions. In April 2018, Kim borrowed 140 million won from 11 individuals, including a person identified as Kang, and had not repaid the loan by the time he submitted his nomination materials. Kim explained via SNS that this occurred as he was dealing with surcharges and tax pressures. However, Kang has maintained a supporter relationship with Kim since Kim's violation of the Political Funds Act in 2008 and throughout his subsequent political career, and this relationship has not been fully clarified.

Issues related to Kim's children may also become points of contention. Kim's son, during his high school years, formed a club to prevent plagiarism and drafted a "Basic Education Act Amendment Bill," which was later actually submitted to the National Assembly. Kim has argued that this legislative activity was not used for college admissions, but allegations of preferential treatment due to his father's position have nonetheless been raised.