[Anchor]
In the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Democratic Party lawmakers failed to adopt any witnesses for the confirmation hearing of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won. There are many individuals who need to be directly questioned regarding the allegations, including a broker surnamed Yang, the head of the new drug company Genencel, and the judge who dismissed the arrest warrant, but not a single person will appear at next week's hearing.
Reporter Ha Jeongyeon has the details.
[Reporter]
Regarding the adoption of witnesses for the confirmation hearing of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in a war of words yesterday (the 9th) at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee without finding common ground.
The People Power Party demanded that 44 people be called as witnesses, including Kang Se-chan, the founder of Genencel related to the "Ministry of Food and Drug Safety lobbying suspicions," a broker designated as surnamed Yang, and former Food and Drug Safety Minister Kim Kang-lip. In response, the Democratic Party countered that it was a case already concluded by the prosecutors' decision of suspension of indictment and that not a single person could be allowed.
[Park Hyung-soo / People Power Party Lawmaker: It is our duty to resolve public suspicions. Yet you intend to run a toothless hearing without a single witness?]
[Kim Eui-kyeom / Democratic Party Lawmaker: If you try to bring back a failed case and repeat it endlessly, isn't that something that should not be done?]
According to the National Assembly Hearing Act, a subpoena must be served 5 days before the hearing—by midnight yesterday—to legally enforce attendance. As the gap could not be narrowed during overnight additional negotiations, nominee Kim's hearing will effectively be held without witnesses.
Meanwhile, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok criticized independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who has mounted a continuous offensive by releasing transcripts related to nominee Kim, stating that such a thing could not happen without a collaborator within the prosecution, and ordered legal action yesterday.
Twisting the lawmaker's nickname from his days as a prosecutor, he said,
[Kim Min-seok / Democratic Party Leader: Wouldn't it be more accurate to call him a "shoddy Chosun prosecutor" or "shoddy Chosun tailoring scissors"?]
Lawmaker Han hit back, calling it "Kim's groundless rumor" and stating he would take criminal action for spreading false information.
[Han Dong-hoon / Independent Lawmaker: (Democratic Party Leader Kim Min-seok) asserted with his own groundless assumptions that I received materials from the prosecution. I assert that I have never received any materials (from the prosecution) nor have I ever collaborated with the prosecution.]
Nominee Kim's confirmation hearing will be held on the 15th.
(Photo courtesy of: Yonhap News / Video reporting: Oh Young-chun, Lee Seung-hwan / Video editing: Park Sun-soo)
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