Park Jiwon Says "Minseok Kim, With 30 Years in Politics and 200 Million Won in Assets, Has Lived Cleanly"

Two-Day Confirmation Hearing Begins Today
People Power Party Launches Full-Scale Offensive, Raising Allegations of Preferential Treatment

The National Assembly confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Minseok Kim began on the morning of June 24, with Park Jiwon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, defending Kim by stating, "He can be evaluated as having lived a relatively clean life." Park cited the fact that "at the age of 61, a four-term lawmaker declared only 200 million won in assets." On June 23, during an appearance on Buddhist Broadcasting System's (BBS) "Morning Journal with Geum Taeseop," Park commented on the People Power Party's attacks against Kim, saying, "Having participated in many confirmation hearings at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, I can say that the attacks from both the ruling and opposition parties against nominees are often excessive."

Park Jiwon, member of the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Park continued, "Kim was selected by President Kim Daejung at the age of 32 to become a member of the National Assembly, and over the past 30 years, he has experienced many ups and downs in both his life and political career." He added, "Nevertheless, for a 61-year-old prime minister nominee and four-term lawmaker to declare only 200 million won in assets, I still believe this indicates he has lived relatively cleanly." Park further emphasized, "As President Lee Jaemyung said yesterday, Kim should be able to sufficiently explain the suspicions raised by the opposition, and once the hearing is concluded, the public will be convinced."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party continued its all-out offensive against Kim on the same day, highlighting suspicions regarding the formation of his assets and allegations of preferential treatment for his son. The party argued that the confirmation hearing could not proceed with proper scrutiny due to the Democratic Party's refusal to accept witness requests and the nominee's inadequate submission of materials. As a result, they increased pressure by calling for Kim's voluntary resignation or the withdrawal of his nomination.

Prime Minister Nominee Minseok Kim. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

In response, the Democratic Party is focusing its efforts on completing the two-day confirmation hearing as scheduled and finalizing the approval process next week. The Democratic Party dismisses the various suspicions raised by the People Power Party as "excessive political attacks" and "obstruction of state affairs," and believes that Kim will be able to clarify the specific issues during the hearing.

Meanwhile, unlike cabinet ministers and other members of the State Council, the president cannot appoint the prime minister without the consent of the National Assembly. However, given the current number of seats held by the ruling bloc, including the Democratic Party, approval can be secured through a vote even without the People Power Party's agreement. The requirement for the approval of the prime minister's nomination is a majority of registered lawmakers present and a majority of those present voting in favor.