Condolence Money of 160 Million Won, 250 Million Won from Book Launches, 200 Million Won from Wife's Family
Joo Jinwoo of People Power Party: "Does Not Meet Public Expectations"
Kim Minseok: "The Source of 600 Million Won Is Now Clear... An Apology Is Needed"
Kim Minseok, nominee for Prime Minister, responded to opposition party criticism on the 24th regarding his expenditures exceeding his income as a National Assembly member, stating that "I received 160 million won in condolence money, 250 million won from two book launch events, and about 200 million won from my wife's family."
Kim Minseok, nominee for Prime Minister, is taking the oath at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News
At the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on this day, Kim made these remarks in response to a question from Joo Jinwoo, a member of the People Power Party, regarding the source of 600 million won in income with unclear origins. The People Power Party pointed out that while Kim's income over the past five years, since 2019, was 500 million won, his expenditures amounted to 1.3 billion won. Even after excluding 200 million won for his son's overseas studies, they argued that the source of approximately 600 million won remained unexplained.
Kim stated, "I believe the condolence money (from my father-in-law's funeral) was around 160 million won," and added, "At the two book launch events, one raised about 150 million won and the other about 100 million won." He continued, "While I was paying the penalty, my wife faced significant difficulties in daily life, so she received 2 to 3 million won at a time from her family for living expenses, and this added up to a considerable amount. Including congratulatory money, I think the total received this way exceeds 200 million won."
In response, Representative Joo said, "The details you have provided so far keep changing. Initially, you mentioned condolence money and lecture fees as miscellaneous income. Later, as the amounts became clearer, you brought up the book launch events, and now you are mentioning an additional 200 million won from your wife's family as another source of funds."
Representative Joo also criticized Kim's book launch event income as not meeting public expectations. He said, "Even for family events, ordinary people usually record the names and amounts given. However, book launch events have long been pointed out as a covert source of income for lawmakers." He emphasized, "There must have been stakeholders and businesspeople in attendance, but there is no way to verify how much they contributed." He added, "From the perspective of ordinary citizens, receiving 160 million won in condolence money for your father-in-law's funeral also seems excessive."
Jeon Yonggi, a member of the Democratic Party, countered, "Representative Joo claims that book launch events are always problematic as a covert source of income for lawmakers, but they can also serve as a means of promotion for political newcomers. The income allows them to engage in political activities, so labeling it as a covert source of income is unfair. Those with tens of billions of won in assets may not understand, but even those without money should be able to pursue politics."
Jeon further argued, "It is also absurd to raise issues about condolence money. The claim is that because of power, many people came and gave large sums, but condolence money is meant as a gesture of comfort when a family member passes away."
Kim stated, "I personally believe it is inappropriate to indiscriminately question all congratulatory and condolence money that could affect ordinary citizens, or to treat all book launch events?which could restrict the activities of political newcomers?as inherently wrong. At the very least, since it has already been clearly established that the claim 'I stashed away 600 million won and spent it in cash' is not true, an apology should be made before proceeding with further questions."
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