People Power Party demands withdrawal of Kim Seung-won and Yong Hye-in nominations

The People Power Party has demanded that President Lee Jae-myung withdraw the nominations of Kim Seung-won for justice minister and Yong Hye-in for gender equality minister, portraying both candidates as unfit for office.

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It is absurd for someone who received a non-prosecution disposition in a bribery case to become justice minister.

At a parliamentary party meeting on the 4th, floor leader Chung Jeom-sik focused on Kim’s past non-prosecution disposition in a bribery-related case. He said it was “absurd” for someone who received that disposition to become the minister responsible for the prosecution authorities. He described the appointment as “an enormous conflict of interest.”

Kim faces allegations linked to a 2021 request for approval of clinical trials for GenNCell’s COVID-19 treatment. The allegations concern messages from a broker, identified by the surname Yang, asking Kim to approach the then head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Prosecutors had investigated GenNCell’s former chief executive, identified by the surname Kang, over alleged lobbying of lawmakers and others to secure approval for the trials. Kim received a non-prosecution disposition in connection with the case.

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Appointing someone who received a non-prosecution disposition in a bribery-related case to head the ministry responsible for prosecution creates an enormous conflict of interest.

Policy committee chair Lim E-ja also attacked both nominations, calling Kim and Yong “the ultimate examples of shamelessness.” She urged President Lee to withdraw them by the weekend. Lim said the party would submit a request for a parliamentary investigation into a single-stock exchange-traded fund. She pointed to the employment of the sons of former policy chief Kim Yong-beom and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin at Mirae Asset Management, which she said collected large fees from the product. Lim questioned whether the abrupt dismissal of Kim Yong-beom represented an attempt to conceal a suspected connection between political power and the financial industry.

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The two candidates, Kim Seung-won, facing allegations of solicitation-related misconduct, and Yong Hye-in, from a family party monopolizing special treatment, have already received the public’s verdict. They are the ultimate examples of shamelessness.